"Considering the motivation behind impersonating a law enforcement officer, such as making fake traffic stops to exploit the driver – especially women – as well as other kinds of attacks, I believe it is important to have a tougher penalty for this crime," said Pippy. "Police impersonators are not only a threat to public safety; they undermine the confidence the public rightfully has in legitimate officers. It's a serious crime and deserves serious consequences."

Pippy said the measure also makes it a third-degree misdemeanor for a person to impersonate an active member of the armed forces or a military veteran.

An incident Wednesday in York, Pa., where police said a man impersonated an officer and tried to arrest a woman, is the most recent of reported incidents involving police impersonators across Pennsylvania.

In a case outside of Philadelphia in 2005, police arrested a man driving a vehicle that looked like an uncover police car. They found numerous fake police badges in his possession, from several states.