The Bizarre Case of Henry Terry-Bogus Cop

June 16, 2008

Henry Terry, 24, was a con man and a scammer who deceived nearly everyone in a Long Island neighborhood into believing he was a cop.  He gained a reputation as a friendly policeman who hit the streets each day, in uniform, to supposedly make the neighborhood a safer place for its residents to live.  Some days he played the part of a police sergeant; other days he was a parole officer.  He was known to pass out a fake business card that labeled him a district commander of a police unit that did not exist.  He was quite the charmer—he even duped his roommate into believing that he was a cop.  He also wore 9/11 commemorative patches on his fake uniform.

"He had me fooled the whole time," said a young man who shared an apartment with Terry.  "He told me he was a state police officer….He was doing police duties.  He would pull people over, but never wrote tickets."

"He had the kids idolizing him like he was a super police officer," said one of Terry's neighbors.  "He would come out in his uniform every day, like he was going to work.  He would flash his lights for the kids.  He would let them play with the siren."

In actuality, Henry Terry was an unemployed convicted criminal who was on probation for arson, and he went out every day using his fake uniform, fake gun, fake car, fake badge and handcuffs to shake down drug dealers, hookers, and anyone else from whom he could get a payoff.  He was very convincing, and he reportedly made significant money from his scams.

"He always had stories," said another neighbor.  "It was like watching an episode of 'Cops.'"  The neighbor said that Terry entertained the locals with his stories about his busts, arrests, and the supposed heroism that went along with his made-up actions.

Although he typically drove a late-model Ford Crown Victoria, outfitted with lights, siren, and a public address system, he was known to sometimes commandeer a vehicle for "police business."  On one occasion Terry...

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Comments

[jean hamilton]

now that takes *alls

[Adam]

They should make a movie about this sick dude, Henry Terry.

[Adam]

At least Henry didn't kill anyone, but that dude is sick. As smart and charmful as he seem to be, why he had to be a fake cop instead of a real one? He could of had something going for his self for people to admire him for. Then he gone and molest kids and harm animals, then con other people. People just do the dummust things and mess up their life. If they were to make a movie bout this, it's going to be pretty good.