State Sen. John Hoffman introduces bill to make impersonating a police officer a felony

Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman, who was shot multiple times by an assailant impersonating law enforcement testified in favor of making it a felony to masquerade as an officer.

Hoffman gave dramatic and chilling testimony Thursday afternoon as he described the night he was shot. Vance Boelter is accused of shooting Hoffman and his wife, as well as killing Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

"I was almost killed. My wife was almost killed. My daughter had a gun placed in her face by an individual who looked like a police officer, had a vehicle that looked like a police vehicle, yelled 'this is police,' license plate said 'police' on it. I was hearing everyting that you think a police officer is," Hoffman testified. "He was not a police officer."

Hoffman's bill would make it a felony to impersonate an officer. Currently it is only a misdemeanor. The senator introduced another bill that would require used police cars to be stripped of all markings and equipment before they are resold to the public.

"To this day when there is a vehicle that looks like a police vehicle and when I am on the road, I am taking exits and taking lefts and rights to avoid that person, that vehicle, because I think they might be following me," Hoffman said.

The two proposals passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously. The bill will eventually have to be passed by the full House and Senate. It has broad bipartisan support and has the full backing of law enforcement associations.