On an early morning in January 2024, a black Ford police interceptor was seen conducting a traffic stop on a white Ford sedan along a public roadway in Ohio. The vehicle had red and blue emergency lights activated, and the man inside issued commands for the driver to pull over and exit the lane. From a distance, it looked like a felony stop in progress. The man behind the wheel wore tactical gear and spoke with authority. To anyone watching, he appeared to be law enforcement. But among those watching were actual officers who didn't recognize the vehicle or the individual inside. When they approached, the man failed to provide a valid badge or name any agency affiliation. [Applause] I caught on. Yeah, that's No, that I I waved them down. He was going to kill everybody on the road. What's going on with you, dude? He was going 11 on the road. Went in front of three other people. I'm off duty right now. I'm going home. I got all my gear in the back. Can you show him my credentials and everything? Yeah, I we checked everything. Yeah, he was a He was going to I mean, real problem. So, I I just stopped him and I flagged the uh I saw the Mark Columbus police officer. I flagged him down. I said, "You need to go talk to them right now." Do you have a badge number? The suspect hands the officer a fake badge, falsely identifying him as a special unit federal agent. Oh, wow. Oh, federal. Your badge number? Uh 7937. 79. Okay, that's good. I I I flagged down the first smart car that I saw. Yeah. I mean, it was a real problem on the road. See, he's going 11 miles an hour. He was going 11 down here. He tried to drive into two other cars. The one person got a little bit road ragy on him and was following him like real close. The one guy that was going to like, are they going to go fight? So, I just set the lights on him real quick and I waved the Columbus police officer over. I said, "You need to get him right now. Pull him over." He stopped right here in the middle of the intersection. I gave him commands 11 times on my on my radio with the lights on. Turn right. Turn right. Turn right. Get off the road. Get off the road. You can follow any instructions. I wasn't getting I I got no gear on right now. Everything's in the back. Right. I saw the Columbus officer right here. I say, "Hey, whip around." And then that's where we're at. Okay, cool. Thanks a lot. The officers come to realize that the suspect is not really law enforcement as they've had similar issues with him in the past. They discuss how to proceed with the current situation. He's always calling he has stuff. Who? That guy right there. You guys seen him before? Yeah. He's always over here. I've never seen him before. He's always calling in stuff about 48s and stuff. I was like, that's what we were trying to figure out. We were like, is it is this guy real? I thought it was either you guys or them. I was like, oh, is it security? Then I was like, but yeah, he's no ops and I don't know how we're going to handle it. What's going on? The officers dismissed the individual who was pulled over by the suspect, then discuss with each other how to go about teaching the suspect a lesson for impersonating an officer. No problem. Have a good one. You got anything else? No. Appreciate it. That did make a traffic stop. He did my car. Me and Columbus were talking and does he just drive around and do whatever he wants to do and like yeah I guess he although the full conversation wasn't on camera officers obtain his home address from his personal info and arrive at his residence to place him under arrest as it seems he wasn't aware that impersonating a federal agent is a federal felony. Hey Brennan. Hey. What's going on? Hey. You remember me from last night? Yeah, I do. What's going on? So, we had a couple more developments about that traffic stop. Can you come out here and talk to me? Yeah. Yeah. Let me get a su actually. For unlawful detainment and impersonating a police officer. I have done none of that. You have the right to remain silent for what? Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law, you have the right to an attorney and have him or her present with you while you're being questioned. You have the right not to answer any questions or make any statements until that time. Do you understand? I do. Jess, I don't know what's happening right now. I don't either. I don't. What is happening? We will explain it to you in just a minute, but we're going to do what we need to do to make sure everybody's safe. Okay. Okay. Very important question. Do you have any weapons or anything that could hurt us on your personal? I do not. Okay. What is happening? Under arrest for impersonal police officer. How did I impersonate a police officer? I never impersonate any police officer ever. We will explain to all that later. As the officers place the suspect in the cruiser, he goes on an incredibly diluted rant as to why he believes his word is as good as the law. Can you explain this, please? Go ahead and take a seat. We explain it. You have the original license plates that were issued to that car? Yes, I do. Where would they be in? So, because those plates are fictitious. They're not the original high plates that came on it. Correct. So, that being said, that vehicle is parked illegally without real license plates. Okay. I I' I've talked to the state. All of that is in process. I I I think that there's a miscommunication here. Okay. Okay. My intention is never to impersonate law enforcement. I've never identified myself as such. I am licensed with the state. I am a future recovery agent. I every interaction I've had with anybody, I've had all you guys involved asking for your assistance. and I have uh registration with the attorney general's office and working on the process with the state for the plates. It was a safety issue on the plate just because of the nature of the job, right? It's the same reason that my driver's license comes back to Mccroni, right? And it's a safety issue. It's not to impersonate anybody. It's to keep my family safe. Well, what we want to do rather than impound the vehicle is if we can get those plates, we can install them because those ones are going to be collected as evidence. Okay. two, once this is said and done, that emergency equipment is going to have to come off of there. But that again, that's that's it's still on an application with the AG's office. What you're being charged with is having fictitious plates on the car. Okay. A limit of number of lights required, which covers the fact that there is red and blue lights that were activated. Okay. Unlawful detainment because unlawful traffic stop was conducted. I didn't I didn't He was already stopping. Sir, just let me explain. I I'll let you say your piece. That way you have all the information. An unlawful traffic stop was conducted. An individual was reta was detained and their fourth amendment rights were violated. And in the process of that, red and blue lights were activated on that roadway with that address and everything coming back to 120. That's impersonating a police officer. It wasn't the intention. It it it was public safety and it was to wave down a Columbus police officer, which exactly what I did. I never approached the individual. I never got out of the car. I never went to them. Never identified myself as anything. I did it to wave down the police officer and had him go talk to them. I did not detain anybody. I used the lights to signal for them to come because they were going to do harm to other people on the car. Okay. Which I do have the videos along with that on how they on how they were driving. Okay. And asking them to stop in the other cars that were waving me down. Mhm. And so I got a mark. Nothing that I did was to overstep the boundaries of anything. I understand our separation here, but that person was going to hurt somebody. And so I wanted to get you guys involved, which I did, right? Gave you my card. You did. I Everything I thought was above board. If there's an education here, if I crossed I don't think that this needs to be an arrestable situation. We can figure out a way that I can say, okay, did I misstep in this action? But my int my intention here was not to do anything that you guys are saying. It was public safety and it was to get you guys involved. And I absolutely believe that you meant well. But based on our conversation last night and the statements of the Columbus police officers there, you told me that you activated your overhead lights, stopped the car, gave him 11 commands over the PA, pull to the right, pull you in. I asked him to get off the roadway while the Columbus officer was coming. And the Columbus officer said, "You had him stopped." Huh? The Columbus He wouldn't move. He was just stopped dead in the road. He He was go He was going He was going 8 m an hour, then 28, then eight, swerved a bunch of times, came over, uh almost hit another driver, and then stopped right in front of me. I got on the PA and said, "Please, you know, I I told him, I said, "Move to the right. Move to the right." He he was just sitting in the middle of a green light and I saw the Columbus officer. I I hit the lights and I waved him over and I said, "Hey, you know, you got to get this guy right now. You got to get him." He goes, "Hey, who are you with?" I said, "I'm with Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Program." That's exactly who we're a nonprofit, state of Ohio, right? He goes, "Okay, cool. Do you have your ID?" I showed it to him. I showed it to you. Gave the card. If if I didn't hit the lights, I I I was afraid somebody was going to get hurt. I really was. and we are under uh under review with the uh attorney general office. The reason that our nonprofit was approved is because we're trying to get away from the way the wild wild west of bounty hunting and all that kind of stuff going after the 100,000 open warrants and the 26,000 felony warrants that are out. Our opportunity to to augment but not to replace and certainly not to impersonate. Yes, sir. I this is this is very upsetting because I really am trying to do the right thing in the best way and I feel like I was very transparent, very clear with everybody on who I am and I can tell you it'll never happen again cuz we need to look at the intent. Right. Right. There was no intent here to do what these charges dictate that I was doing. I'm not you know what I mean? I guess my like my question is when when we were speaking, you know, I asked you for your badge number. You gave that to me and then I I said, "So you're you're federal." I don't believe I No, I I think I called I didn't respond. You didn't respond. No, I I I think I said, "No, I'm state." And then the other guy was talking to me from the other side. I'm absolutely not federal. Yeah. You know, we're under the influence or in the impression at the time, oh, you're federal. I You did You didn't respond. You didn't correct me. No, no. I I think he was coming out from the other side cuz that part of it was on the cuz I reviewed the footage when I got back and I heard you say that and then I I didn't respond and I'm like, "Oh, well that's why I said, "Hey, do you want my card to make sure that there's no misunderstanding, right? Yes. Should I Hey, I'm state. Oh, hey, I'm part of So, so the our organization is a nationwide organization, right? But we're licensed through the state of Ohio. Technically, are we federal? The group is, but look, I I'm not saying I'm never I would never say I'm a federal agent or a nationwide agent or anything like that. My license is through the state of Ohio and I can show you all that license information. I can give you all of my credentials. You can look at everything. If I up on this thing, man, it won't happen again. This is not what I not what I intended. And certainly not to misrepresent with you guys. I live here. You guys are my Western officers. Right. Right. The last thing I'm going to do is tell you anything. You know, I've had a great relationship with the county sheriff's office, which is normally who we get involved with everybody. Everything we do is supposed to be above board. That incident, that one incident with that vehicle, honestly, they were going to hurt somebody. Sure. And I got the first law enforcement agency that I saw involved this serious. I I I won't, you know, listen, educate me. This is a new program. This is a new thing that we're trying to do the right way. this it shouldn't go this way. Now, you know, I I believed you meant well last night and I still do. I believe you were trying to do the right thing. However, where there is a serious issue that took place, I'm coming northbound on Cleveland and I see two vehicles lit up, red and blue. I called out that I'm going to be out with a felony stop is what I believed it was. Okay. And I learned that this vehicle was stopped. And I mean, you told me that you stopped it. You gave it commands. All of this is fine except for the fact the red and blue lights were used. This person was stopped and their fourth amendment was put in jeopardy by somebody who didn't have the authority to do it. While you may have meant well, we have to pursue it. The warrants were filed today. So, the arrest is a done deal. However, none of these charges are a foul. It doesn't matter. my job, my this this was something that we just stood up. My real job, this this could destroy my livelihood on something that I I didn't destroy their livelihood and anything that they, you know, I believe that they were highly intoxicated. I don't know how the rest of us I didn't even hang around. I said, "Hey, what's their deal?" I gave the information, but I truly believe that they were going to hurt somebody from my military. If I have a means to react or to save or to whatever, then I'll do that. I didn't mean to obviously put you in that situation or make you feel anything. That I that wasn't the implication. And that's also why, like I said, I didn't stay there. I didn't I didn't I didn't facilitate stop. I didn't get out with them. Not we're going in circles. I I get it. If we got to do this, I I just I can't I can't believe that this is a thing cuz none of this the intention behind it has been of good. Yeah. And I I can change I look if it's if it's a learning opportunity or if there's a a change in behavior. This is new. We're all learning this stuff. So what's next? So what I would like to do with your permission is if you can tell me where those plates are, we can have your wife get them. We can we're like I said, we're going to seize those ones. Um but I would like to put the original plates on it so we don't have to tow it and cause you more inconvenience. Is that something you'd be willing to do? Two questions. And this isn't this mainly because the uh the shotgun's in there and some other stuff, right? Being that I'm on the other side, is this bondable, am I coming home tonight? Or being that none of it is felony, but that's something we'll have to you'll have to discuss. I just want to find out. I get I would assume it will be. Um and that'll all come to fruition once we get down there. Okay. Will you allow me the opportunity to get my wallet? Yeah, we can get ask your wife to get it for you. Okay. We'll talk with her real quick and try to uh your your key uh it's just a standard uh handcuff key. They'll take that shotgun off. It's not loaded, but if you want to put that in the in the uh garage there. Okay. That way it's not hanging out. Okay. You know what I mean? Yep. All right. Are you warm enough? No. All right. Brendan Conklin was charged with impersonating a police officer, unlawful restraint, using fictitious license plates, and violating the limit on the number of vehicle lights.