Former hospital officer from Long Island tried to avoid tickets by falsely saying he was still on the job, prosecutors say

A former New York City hospital police officer from East Patchogue was charged after he allegedly tried to avoid traffic citations by telling police that he was still on the job — years after he returned to civilian life, prosecutors said.

Suffolk County prosecutors on Wednesday charged the former officer, Peterson Jules, 40, with four misdemeanor counts of criminal impersonation. But Jules disputed the prosecutors’ version of events in an interview and pleaded not guilty at arraignment.

The charges stem from four traffic stops prosecutors said Suffolk County police made between Feb. 17 and June 4 in Patchogue and Medford. According to charging documents, the four stops were made by four different officers, three for excessive window tint and one for window tint and unsafe lane changes. Two stops were made June 4. The officers made sworn statements between June 29 and July 7.   

At each stop, prosecutors alleged in a news release, Jules identified himself as a "member of service," a phrase they said was commonly used by law enforcement personnel, and he showed Suffolk officers an image on his cellphone of his New York City Health and Hospital Special Police identification card, along with a New York City shield and shield number.

In fact, prosecutors said, he was terminated from that job in April 2022.

But Jules, reached by phone Thursday, said the impersonation case was retaliation after he lodged a phone complaint with the Suffolk County Police Department Internal Affairs Bureau following the second June 4 traffic stop.

Jules said that the officer who made that stop, shortly after 8 p.m., was red-eyed and "acting like he was under [the influence of] a substance. ... He was acting strange." Jules said he called the bureau minutes after the traffic stop.

"I was told they were going to call me back," he said. "The only thing I get is, the DA [investigators] came to my house and they seized my phone." Jules was arrested July 17 by district attorney personnel, according to court records. "Nobody ever said I impersonated, until I reported him," he said.

A police department representative wrote in an email that after that traffic stop, "the officer was directed to return to the Fifth Precinct, where a supervisor conducted an assessment and determined that the officer was fit for duty. The Internal Affairs Bureau later investigated the complaint, including a review of the officer’s body-worn camera footage, and determined that the officer acted appropriately and was fit for duty."

Jules also said he had not misrepresented himself to the Suffolk officers who made the traffic stops. "I told them I used to be a police officer," he said. "I said 'in the past.' " He said he told the officers that he was "looking for a courtesy."

He said he had left his job as a hospital police officer because the pay was too low. NYC Health + Hospitals did not respond to a request for comment.

Jules said the traffic stops had resulted in a $250 citation for illegal window tint and for driving without a license. He said that in court this week the window tint citation was dropped to a $125 parking violation, which he paid, and that the citation for driving without a license was dismissed. He said the license suspension was for nonpayment of taxes and that the tax situation has been resolved. 

He is scheduled to appear Aug. 18 before Judge John Zollo. He said he intends to fight the charges.

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.