Authorities: Three suspects impersonated Delaware officials; investigation ongoing
[gtxvideo vid=”ESoXwtba” playlist=”” pid=”9FCH1Fwp” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/ESoXwtba.jpg” vtitle=””]
An investigation is underway after authorities say three individuals were involved in the impersonation of Delaware Division of Family Services employees in Dover.
Delaware State Police say on Friday, just after 11:22 AM, the incident happened on South Mill Road, when a woman and two men encountered a female resident and advised her that they were from Child Protective Services. Police say the individuals also advised that they needed to check on the welfare of her children. Troopers report that neither of three three suspects displayed nor could provide credentials or proof of identification.
Law enforcement says the female suspect was in possession of paperwork that contained the child's name, however she refused to show it in it's entirety to the resident. According to the report, as the female suspect spoke with the resident, the male suspects began to take photos of a vehicle parked in the driveway. Authorities say the male suspects wore holstered handguns on their waistbands.
The resident apparently became suspicious and stated that she was going to call the police. At that point, all three suspects then fled. DSP reports that the Dover resident then immediately contacted the Division of Family Services who confirmed that they had not dispatched any caseworkers to her residence.
Authorities reported the following description of the three suspects:
Suspect #1: Female, 30 years of age, wearing a blue suit and operating a white, Nissan sedan.
Suspect #2: Middle aged male, wearing an all-black button down shirt.
Suspect #3: Male, 20 years of age, light complexion, wearing a black short sleeved shirt, black pants and a black baseball cap. Both male suspects fled in a black, Chevrolet Tahoe.
This incident remains under investigation by DSP.
Authorities report that all Delaware Division of Family Services employees will produce an official State of Delaware issued photo ID card when on official business. If necessary you can ask for a supervisors name and then call the DFS hotline at 800-292-9582 to verify the employee's identity and authenticity of the visit.
Law enforcement says in Delaware this agency is known as DFS or Division of Family Services not CPS (Child Protective Services) as it is known in other states. An actual State of Delaware employee will not identify themselves as being from Child Protective Services.
Anyone with information related to incident is asked to call Troop 3 at 302-698-8453 or Delaware Crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.
