Mason Johnson Pretended to be a Fake Cop While Planning a Kidnapping and Murder
What Research Tells Us About Police Impersonators and How Dangerous They Are
Twenty-two-year-old New Haven, Kentucky native Mason Johnson was once a Nelson County corrections officer. Before that, he was a corrections officer for neighboring Laro County. He was also a volunteer for the New Hope Fire Department. You'd think he was an upstanding citizen if you didn't know what I'm about to tell you. Maybe even a hero.
Corrections Officer Mason Johnson is about to see his former place of employment from a new perspective: as an inmate staring at the four walls of his prison cell. The twenty-two-year-old first got the attention of the Nelson County Sheriff's office after a deputy stopped to assist with an injury traffic accident and got a tip that a suspicious man had recently flashed blue lights and seemed to be impersonating a police officer while conducting a late-night traffic stop.
An investigation quickly led to Mason Johnson. The preliminary investigation also revealed that Johnson was living with his parents, and an ex-girlfriend had an active restraining order against him since July, which prohibited him from currently possessing or using firearms. These concerning facts were enough for deputies to get a search warrant. They had no idea just how concerned they should be.
The Kill List
Johnson's parents were kind and accommodating when officers showed up on their doorstep. They quickly let the officers inside, told them their son was living in their basement, and informed them that he was asleep downstairs. All of this turned out to be true.
Based on what they found, this was indeed a blessing. Officers awakened Mason Johnson, quickly escorted him out of the home, and began their search. Here's what they found:
several guns
a pipe bomb
journals with numerous written entries, including a detailed hit list outlining his grievances against various targets and how he planned to kill them
an extensive collection of law enforcement equipment, including patches, a taser, body armor with patches, booby traps such as caltrops and a makeshift spike, and an OC spray baton
At the top of his kill list was Johnson's ex-girlfriend, along with detailed schematics and plans for kidnapping her and murdering an unidentified man whom he believed had some connection to his former love. From the information provided, it seems inevitable that lives would have been lost without the diligence and quick work of the sheriff's department.
But what - if any - was the connection between Mason Johnson's stint as a police impersonator and his violent fantasies and plans? Is impersonating a police officer common, and what kind of person would do it? Let's look at what the research says.
Is This a Problem?
According to a 2019 study published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, there were an average of 400 reported incidents of police impersonation per year in the United States between 2000 and 2016. This number is likely an underestimate; after all, even if you suspect it, how do you know for sure that the person claiming to be a cop is a fake? Even if you're positive, many people are unaware that police impersonation is a crime.
While 400 a year is not insignificant, the actual number of police impersonation incidents could be significantly higher. Police badges, uniforms, and other paraphernalia are available online and at surplus stores, making it easy for individuals to acquire the necessary items to impersonate a police officer.
This possibility is backed up by anecdotal evidence from police departments nationwide, which report encountering numerous cases of impersonation. In addition, a 2023 study looking at police impersonators across countries found that 73.4% of the offenders were serial impersonators who had impersonated an authority figure more than once.
Inside the Mind of a Police Impersonator
The psychology of police impersonation is complex and multifaceted. Different motives can drive the same behavior; as such, they can vary from impersonator to impersonator. An organized fraud and money laundering ring posing as police officers and prosecutors to convince individuals they were involved in serious crimes and had to surrender their assets under supervision is a world apart from the lone predator with flashing blue lights on top of his black car who pulls over two teenagers and drives off after taking snapshots of their drivers' licenses.
However, research suggests some common psychological drivers underlie the decision to masquerade as a cop, including:
Greed/Material Gain: Money is often a motive for mayhem, and police impersonation is no exception. In fact, the diverse ways fake cop paraphernalia has been used to make a buck is genuinely astonishing.
They pull people over and rob them, or they use their phony authority to gain access to people's homes or businesses. A group of impersonators in Colorado, for instance, targeted registered sex offenders in their area by impersonating a sheriff's deputy and demanding they pay a fine. At the other end of the financial spectrum, a 1990 Boston art gallery robbery involving fake cops netted $500 million in Old Masters’ works.
Psychological or Sexual Deviance: In some cases, police impersonators are criminals using their fake authority to commit serious crimes. While the vast majority of police impersonators never injure anyone during their charade, sixty-two percent have a history of other criminal activity (theft, drugs, assault). In addition to having a prior criminal record, police impersonators often exhibit other characteristics that may increase their risk of reoffending. These characteristics include:
Antisocial personality traits (e.g., narcissism, a lack of empathy, antisocial personality disorder)
Substance abuse problems
History of violence or aggression
Lack of stable employment or housing
In a small number of cases, the motive of impersonation is to commit a violent crime - sexual assault, murder, kidnapping. With his history of domestic violence and violation of the conditions of a restraining order (not to mention his nefarious kidnapping and murder plans), Mason Johnson fits right into this category. We can only speculate as to how he planned to use all of his law enforcement gear to kidnap and murder.
He wouldn't be the first. In one violent Texas incident, three men held a family at gunpoint during a home invasion, ransacked the home, and pistol-whipped one of the family members." Take the case of Paul Winklebleck: In 2011, he impersonated a cop to kidnap and attempt to sexually assault two teenage girls in Portland, Oregon. They escaped, and he disappeared until his remains were found in 2015. Winklebleck was a pedophile who had been previously arrested for rape and sexual assault. In Pennsylvania, a pair of police impersonators stole a car from a couple and kidnapped the female victim. And, lest you think police impersonation is strictly a U.S. problem, New Zealander William Bell tricked his way into the building where he murdered three people by wearing a stolen police shirt.
Wannabe/Fantasy Fulfillment
When money or deviance do not appear to be motives, an offender's desire to enhance their ego by demonstrating power and authority over others is often the driving force. One group of impersonators was arrested in Michigan after impersonating first responders (including police officers and firefighters) for at least three years. When asked why, they stated they were trying to serve their community and claimed that if they were the first to arrive at a crime scene, the real police would ask them to help out. In another incident in Michigan, several teenagers with stolen guns and fake police red and blue lights on their sports utility vehicle stopped a woman on the street. They asked to see her driver’s license and vehicle paperwork.
Fortunately, since the goal is the high of the impersonation itself, offenders with this motive are usually harmless, at least as far as the victim is concerned. However, law enforcement officers rightly point out that fake cops wielding false power over law-abiding citizens can undermine the trust and credibility of genuine police officers.
What to Look Out For
Becoming familiar with your local law enforcement's uniform and badge designs is always a good idea. Since I'm a forensic psychologist, though, I will talk more about the behavioral "tells" that should get your spidey senses tingling during an encounter with someone claiming to be law enforcement, such as:
Aggressive or demanding behavior: A real police officer will typically be polite and professional, even if they are questioning you or making an arrest.
Unfamiliarity with police procedures: An impersonator might not know standard police procedures or make mistakes when trying to follow them.
Eagerness to collect personal information: A legitimate police officer will only ask for your personal information if they have a legitimate reason. An impersonator might ask for your personal data without a valid reason or try to pressure you into giving it to them.
Refusal to show identification: A real police officer will always offer you their badge and ID if you ask to see them. An impersonator might refuse to show you their ID or might try to distract you from asking for it.
Requesting personal information without justification: A real police officer will only ask for your personal information if they have a legitimate reason to do so, such as if you are being arrested or a witness to a crime. An impersonator might ask for your personal information without a valid reason or try to pressure you into giving it to them.
Seeming overly interested in your belongings: A real police officer will not be interested in your belongings unless they have a reason to believe you are involved in criminal activity. An impersonator might seem overly interested in your belongings or try to convince you to let them search your car or your pockets.
But the biggest takeaway is to trust your gut; if something doesn't feel right, you can (and should) take action. A legitimate cop will understand if you (and, in many states, you're legally allowed to) pull over in a well-lit, public place where there will be witnesses or have a 9-1-1- dispatcher verify the officer's identity. Additionally, police departments are working to make it more difficult for individuals to acquire police insignia and equipment.
The Bottom Line
Not all police impersonators are dangerous or have a prior criminal record. Some individuals may impersonate a police officer for psychological reasons, such as attention-seeking or a misguided way to get a sense of power and control. Even when no one gets hurt, though, it's not a harmless prank. At the very least, it can erode trust in legitimate law enforcement professionals, and, at worst, it can be a duplicitous way to engage in criminal or deviant behavior.
Research suggests that individuals with a history of criminal behavior and other risk factors often commit police impersonation. A subset disguises themselves as legitimate authority figures to carry out violence, often against vulnerable victims. We don't know what role Mason Johnson's penchant for police impersonation was to play in his more extensive criminal plans. But based on the seriousness of what was found in his parents' home, the citizen who tipped off police to his masquerade almost certainly saved lives.
As always, thank you for reading The Mind Detective. This holiday season, I am grateful for your support, encouragement and suggestions. Keep ‘em coming! And please pass this along to your true crime friends.