Brenden Wysynski is an Albuquerque, New Mexico man who, at 18, was arrested in September 2019 after an Albuquerque Police Department sergeant caught him impersonating a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office deputy during a traffic stop he had initiated himself. He pleaded no contest, received a year of probation in March 2020, and was back before the judge within four months for violating its terms.
The Traffic Stop That Unraveled
Just after 12:30 a.m. on September 9, 2019, APD Sergeant Danny Anzo was driving north on 4th Street near Interstate 40 when he spotted a grey Ford sedan with red and blue flashing lights stopped behind a silver SUV. The Ford had no police markings. Wysynski waved as Anzo passed, and Anzo turned around.1CNN. Teenager Impersonates Police Officer
Wysynski was in jeans, a T-shirt, and an Air Force hat, with a star-shaped badge clipped to his belt. He had no firearm on his person, no gun belt, and none of the standard equipment a working deputy would carry. Asked for identification, he pointed at the badge and said, “This is all I got.”2KOAT. Man Arrested for Impersonating Officer He told Anzo he had worked for BCSO for three years and had pulled the SUV over for doing 120 miles per hour on I-40. He gave his birth year as 1994. A database check on his vehicle registration showed 2001.3ABC News. Teen Charged With Impersonating Sheriff’s Deputy During Traffic Stop
Anzo had Wysynski return the motorist’s documents, let the SUV go, and placed Wysynski in the back of his patrol car. Sitting there, Wysynski offered an unprompted confession: “I’m just gonna be straight-up with you. I’m not a cop.” He said he had bought the badge online. A BCSO supervisor confirmed the badge was real but an outdated model the department no longer issued. Wysynski initially claimed it had belonged to his late father, a former BCSO officer, but investigators found no one with the surname Wysynski had ever worked for the sheriff’s office.2KOAT. Man Arrested for Impersonating Officer3ABC News. Teen Charged With Impersonating Sheriff’s Deputy During Traffic Stop
What Was in His Car
A warrant search of the Ford turned up a siren speaker system, a windshield-mounted GoPro, a red and white LED light bar, and a police scanner. Detectives also recovered a revolver and six magnum cartridges from the vehicle.4KOAT. APD Officer Speaks Out About Finding Teen Impersonating Deputy No weapon-related charges were publicly reported. Wysynski was charged with impersonating a peace officer, a misdemeanor under New Mexico law.1CNN. Teenager Impersonates Police Officer
His Explanation
In a post-arrest interview, Wysynski said he had been driving to his job at Albuquerque Courtesy & Parking when he saw the SUV speeding and pulled it over out of concern. He told investigators he claimed to be a deputy because he “got scared” when a real officer arrived.3ABC News. Teen Charged With Impersonating Sheriff’s Deputy During Traffic Stop The driver he had pulled over later called the encounter “suspicious,” said he had been “afraid,” and described Wysynski himself as “scared” while handling the paperwork.4KOAT. APD Officer Speaks Out About Finding Teen Impersonating Deputy Wysynski did not give a clear reason for having outfitted his car with law enforcement equipment to begin with. No prior incidents of impersonation were reported.
Plea and Sentence
Wysynski was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on September 9, 2019, and released the same day on his own recognizance, with no bond required.5Police1. Fake Deputy Pulls Over Driver, Is Arrested by Real LEO Rather than go to trial, he pleaded no contest to impersonating a sheriff’s deputy.6Arkansas Online. Teen Pleaded No Contest for Impersonating New Mexico Deputy In March 2020, Judge Sandra Engel sentenced him to one year of probation. The conditions included a required psychiatric evaluation.7KRQE. Teen Who Impersonated Deputy Violates Probation
Probation Violations
By July 2020, roughly four months into the term, Wysynski was back in court on three violations: failing to report to his probation officer, giving a false address, and not completing the court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. His attorneys had previously said he had mental health issues.7KRQE. Teen Who Impersonated Deputy Violates Probation
At a July 8, 2020 hearing, probation officer Annette Keith asked the court to sanction Wysynski with 10 days in custody and reinstate probation under a “zero tolerance” policy. Judge Engel declined to jail him immediately but ordered a new psychiatric evaluation within two weeks and increased supervision to weekly phone check-ins. She warned that “jail time would be on the table” if he missed the deadline, and noted he could face up to a year in custody for continued violations.7KRQE. Teen Who Impersonated Deputy Violates Probation
Available reporting does not say whether Wysynski completed the evaluation, served jail time, or finished his probation term.