Charges Dropped Against Man for Impersonating an East Haven Police Officer

In February, East Haven police issued a press release saying Brandon Locke, 22, was charged with impersonating a police officer, after he allegedly told a local resident that he couldn’t drive unless he produced his license and registration.

At the time, Locke was charged with impersonation of a police officer, which is a felony. The story grabbed headlines, but last week charges were dropped against Locke, and he said he wants to clear his name.

“A couple weeks back there was an article that was written about how I was accused of impersonating an officer. That since then has been dismissed through the court system. I was wrongfully accused and had my reputation ruined,” Locke wrote in an email to East Haven Patch.

He thinks the Police Department did poor work in this case, the New Haven Register reports.

He said he feels the man who made the complaint against him was intoxicated, and a prosecutor told the Hartford Courant that likely was one of the reasons why the charges were dropped against Locke, the Register reported.

Locke said the complainant stumbled around on the night in question, and he cautioned him to get out of the middle of the road for his own safety, the Register reports.

East Haven Police Department response via Lt. David Emerman in an email to East Haven Patch

“Our officers investigated the complaint and determined that probable cause existed to make the arrest. The State’s Attorney’s office has prosecutorial discretion in the cases that they decide to move forward with for prosecution.

Just because an arrest is dismissed in court, doesn’t mean that a crime wasn’t committed. (Obviously, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law). In this particular case, officers spent a good deal of time conducting their investigation.

Many reporters have inquired as to the sobriety of the complainant in this case. While I am not specifically relating to this case, the reality is we frequently deal with complainants, witnesses, and suspects who are impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Officers have to use their judgment in assessing the credibility of these individuals on a case by case basis. However, just because someone may be impaired or intoxicated doesn’t mean they are inherently not credible. Statements made by these individuals are frequently utilized in prosecutions.

If it were the case that we could NEVER use statements from people who may have some level of impairment, we would never be able to use driver’s statements made in DUI arrests, etc. Would we say that someone who has a few drinks at a bar or restaurant and then walks out and is mugged/robbed, that they are unable to make a complaint because they are intoxicated? Of course not,” Emerman wrote.