Seaford man arrested for forging police identification, police say

A Seaford man was arrested for allegedly impersonating a police officer with fake identification, vehicles that appeared to be for law enforcement personnel use and other paraphernalia, New York State Police said.

Andrew Decter, 22, was stopped in his gray Chevy Tahoe — a make and model used by police forces across the nation — on Expressway Drive in Seaford for a traffic and vehicle violation on the night of March 12. According to police, the New York State Police Gun Investigation Unit reported that the vehicle has a push bar in the front, emergency lighting, a computer and a radio, which made it look like an emergency vehicle.

Inside the vehicle, state police found two fake police shields and a fake New York State employee identification card. They also discovered two air soft pistols, two gun holsters, black handcuffs, an expandable baton and a black raid jacket with NYS DOI on the back.

State Police then initiated a two-month long investigation with the assistance of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, which ended in Decter’s arrest on May 14. He was driving a Crown Victoria — another car historically used by police — on Hicksville Road in Massapequa when he was arrested, police said.

Decter was charged with second-degree forgery, possession of a forged instrument and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to online criminal records.

Madeline Singas, the District Attorney for Nassau County, said that her office is continuing to work with state police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for this ongoing investigation.

“When someone who is not law enforcement is alleged to be carrying a police shield, airsoft pistols and other police paraphernalia,” Singas said, “that person poses a risk to the citizens of Nassau County.

Decter was released on $20,000 and is scheduled to appear in court in late July. The attorney listed for his defense no longer represents him in court.

State police requested that any victims who may have been stopped by Decter impersonating a police officer, or with any further information about Decter, to call them at (631) 756-3300. All calls are confidential.