Charlotte police say man stole badge, impersonated officer in South End, uptown

Genna Contino
·1 min read
Representatives of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told media on Thursday, Dec. 8, Stephen Burke was arrested early that morning for impersonating a police officer.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested a man early Thursday morning for impersonating a police officer in South End and uptown.

Stephen Burke Bridges, 29, is accused of stealing a badge from an officer. He faces six charges, including carrying a gun and obtaining property under false pretenses.

Bridges was working at a bar in the South End area as a security guard, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said at a news conference Thursday. Police would not disclose which bar Bridges worked at, but said he gained financially from the impersonation because he was working for the bar at the time.

An officer’s badge was reported missing prior to the arrest. Bridges never worked for CMPD.

Police said they saw evidence of Bridges impersonating a police officer in pictures sent to them on social media and they do not believe he performed any official police acts such as traffic stops.

Bridges was booked in jail at 1:06 a.m. Thursday and released two hours later, Mecklenburg County’s inmate search shows.

Anyone with information about the impersonation is urged to call 911.