A note to the wise: do not try to falsify your identity when you’re wearing your ID badge!
A man in Orland Park, Illinois, tried to do just that, but apparently forgot he was wearing an ID badge with his name printed on it and his face shown on it. Marsean Russell was pulled over because he was talking on his cell phone and driving and with an obstructed windshield.
As soon as the officer who pulled Russell over approached his car window, Russell’s tall tale began. First Russell said that he didn’t have a license with him at the time. In addition, Russell’s insurance card was expired and therefore invalid. Russell told the officer that his name was “Jamal” and that he didn’t have any sort of identification.
The officer, however, noticed that Russell was wearing an ID badge on a lanyard around his neck. When the officer asked Russell if the badge had any identification information on it Russell said it did not. The officer then requested to see the badge for himself, and when presented with it, could see Russell’s real name clearly printed on it. Oops.
Russell, not to be outdone quite yet, told the officer that Russell was his brother. The officer saw through Russell’s weak ploy, told him so, and Russell finally confessed. It turns out that Russell’s license had been suspended for a DUI charge, and he was forbidden from driving at the time.
The Orland Park police officer was smart to spot Russell’s ID badge. Russell, on the other hand, was not so smart by forgetting he was wearing the item that revealed his identity to anyone who saw it.
ID badges and cards are surefire ways to let people know who you are – and they keep you honest, too!
Photo credit: Orland Park Police Department