Man accused of impersonating a police officer, speaks out

A man arrested for impersonating a police officer the weekend says cops put his family in danger by revealing his profession.

John Paul Hersberg was arrested Saturday night after a disturbance at Duffy’s Tavern on Academy Boulevard and Flintridge Road.

Colorado Springs Police said Hersberg showed a badge to a customer at the bar and said he was a law enforcement officer.

Hersberg said he did show his bail bondsman badge, but never claimed to be an officer. He is a bail bondsman out of Arizona.

Officers said when they arrived on scene, Hersberg appeared to be drunk and had a loaded gun in a holster on his belt.

Hersberg said he was being threatened in the parking lot by a customer at the bar and that his wife, who was inside a vehicle, handed him the gun which he placed on his belt.

Hersberg was booked into El Paso County Jail. He faces charges of impersonating a peace officer and prohibited use of a weapon.

Police released information to the public regarding his arrest and his profession.

Hersberg said his job was confidential and officers should not have revealed that information.

“If people were to know where I hang out and where I live, my concern is they can follow me home, hurt my family,” said Hersberg.

He said the information released by the police department should have been information relevant to the case, including his mug shot and charges he is facing, but not what he does for a living.