By Jeff Lipton
Selling police equipment is illegal, because it could be used to impersonate law enforcement officers. Members of the police department's Internal Affairs Unit posed as a buyer and arrested the suspect, identified as Mark Dorfman, 54, of Alhambra Drive, on Monday, Oct. 6 at 3:40 p.m., police said.
"We are concerned about it because it could be utilized to impersonate a police officer, which could compromise the safety of the public, as well as our fellow police officers," said Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau County Police Department spokesman.
Dorfman told police investigators that he bought the shoulder patch at a garage sale several years ago, Repalone said. "We are doing a follow-up about where it originated from," said Repalone. "We want to make sure that it didn't come from a police officer. There's no indication of that right now."
Dorfman is accused of offering the patch on Craigslist for $30, and a police official scouring the site saw the offer and contacted Internal Affairs, who posed as a buyer. Members of the unit went undercover, met with Dorfman on Sept. 17 and purchased the patch from the suspect, officials said.
He was later arrested and charged with criminal sale of a police uniform, a misdemeanor, and was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Oct. 7.
Authorities said it does not matter if the suspect knew the activity was illegal. "This is a very rare incident," said Repalone. "It's one thing if he's a collector of nostalgia or memorabilia. But you just can't sell police equipment like that."
Repalone said Craigslist may not be aware of everything that is being sold on the online site.
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