WEBSTER, Texas – A convicted felon who got his hands on the keys to a Jamaica Beach Police Department patrol unit is facing new serious felony charges as the department’s chief promises change.
Felix Camacho-Polanco, 35, surrendered to authorities on Monday morning on felony charges of impersonating a public servant and unlawfully carrying a weapon. He posted a $60,000 bond and is now free pending trial.
Camacho-Polanco has a long history of pretending to be a cop over the last decade, KPRC 2 has learned, but the Jamaica Beach Police Department never did a background check before giving him the keys, court records show.
A lieutenant with the department met Camacho-Polanco at church, according to records, and agreed to have him do mechanic work on a broken-down patrol car.
Camacho-Polanco is accused of taking the vehicle to his Webster apartment complex, where records show he repeatedly activated the lights and sirens while telling others he was a former New York Police Department officer and a new Jamaica Beach Police Department reserve officer.
At one point, he allegedly followed a real cop on the cop‘s personal motorcycle down Nasa Parkway with the marked unit’s lights and sirens activated, according to records.
The leasing manager told Webster Police Department investigators that she first met Camacho back in March, when he wore a visible police badge and holstered gun.
“Clearly, here they failed,” licensed police officer and private investigator Jim Willis said. "They failed the citizens in Jamaica Beach, as well as the citizens in Webster."
He said it appears the department had no idea who they handed the keys to.
“It is a small police department, a small town. Would you say that’s any excuse for something like this?" KPRC 2 reporter Bryce Newberry asked.
“No. We all, as police officers, have access to the same databases that would inform anyone, like I said very quickly, whether or not an individual has criminal history,” Willis said. “I’m sure Jamaica Beach hierarchy from the chief all the way down now will never make this mistake again. And let this be a warning to other law enforcement agencies as well that you have to have some type of protocol in place before allowing an individual to take off with your city equipment where many bad things could have happened here."
Camacho-Polanco has been arrested at least 11 times in New York and six of those times involve impersonation, the NYPD told KPRC 2.
- 2013: Camacho-Polanco identified himself as a member of the service to a victim on several occasions and pretended to be law enforcement to request information about someone else
- 2014: Police pulled Camacho-Polanco over for using a cell phone while driving and he claimed to be part of a police agency while carrying a loaded firearm
- 2014: While posing as an immigration officer, Camacho-Polanco showed a badge and claimed to be a detective before following someone to their vehicle and asking for money
- 2017: Camacho-Polanco displayed a makeshift badge and identified himself as law enforcement to gain entry to a business then threatened to arrest patrons while wearing a body vest
- 2019: NYPD officers responded to a car accident under the impression it involved an off-duty officer after Camacho-Polanco claimed he worked for the Department of Justice
- 2019: Officers saw Camacho-Polanco driving a Nissan Rogue in Manhattan with lights and sirens activated when he made an unsafe turn, before telling investigators he was “on the job” and presenting an Ohio State Corrections badge and DOJ identification card
Outside of court on Monday, Camacho-Polanco’s defense attorney called the new allegations false.
"Mr. Camacho has a past, but it’s just that: his past. It’s not who he is today. There’s a rush to judgment based on that past. He is innocent," defense attorney Shelby Burns said.
When Jamaica Beach PD learned of Webster PD’s criminal investigation, Chief Raymond Garivey said they quickly recovered the patrol unit from Camacho-Polanco.
Chief Garivey said the lieutenant involved did not face discipline action.
Here‘s the Chief’s full statement:
"Mr. Camacho-Polanco was contracted to conduct maintenance on one of our police vehicles that was deemed out of service for mechanical issues. He was never employed with the Jamaica Beach Police Department, and we are disappointed with Mr. Camacho-Polanco’s actions and the shame these allegations bring to the badge. We have and will continue to continue to support the investigation being conducted by the Webster Police Department," Chief Garivey wrote in a statement to KPRC 2.
All of Jamaica Beach PD’s patrol units are now accounted for but the car needing mechanical work is still out-of-service. The department will likely use a reputable mechanic shop going forward, Chief Garivey said.