CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago police are trying to figure out how a 14-year-old boy duped them into thinking he was an officer.
The teen walked into a police station Sunday and managed to get an assignment patrolling in a squad car for five hours before somebody figured out he's a kid.
Deputy Superintendent Daniel Dugan says the boy looks old for his age, and notes that he didn't have a gun, didn't issue any tickets and didn't drive the squad car. Officers only discovered the ruse after the boy's patrol with an actual officer ended and they noticed his uniform lacked a star that's part of the regulation uniform.
Police are not identifying the boy because of his age and say he really had no "ill intent" and was motivated by wanting to be an officer.
Still, he's being charged as a juvenile with impersonating an officer.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
