B.C. man who used fake police lights to stop drivers receives conditional discharge

Wayne Peter Church, 59, of North Vancouver received an 18-month conditional discharge after pleading guilty to using equipment likely to make the public believe he was a peace officer. If he completes his probation conditions, including 15 hours of community service and a ban on possessing aftermarket vehicle lights used by law enforcement, he will avoid a criminal record.

Church had been accused of falsely identifying himself as a member of North Vancouver RCMP and of using police-like equipment between Jan. 1 and March 1 of last year. Provincial court Judge Joseph Galati accepted a joint sentencing submission from Crown and defence counsel, noting Church had taken rehabilitative steps since the offence.

Crown prosecutor Kenny Wu said police learned of the matter after Church called 911 on March 1, 2025, to report an erratic driver speeding through “The Cut” on Highway 1 in North Vancouver. A white Tesla was travelling on the shoulder and attempting to pass Church, who motioned for the driver to pull over. The driver gave Church a licence while Church wore a high-visibility vest and drove a vehicle with flashing lights. Church gave a verbal warning about speeding and told the driver to follow the rules of the road.

Police pulled Church over and arrested him three days later, finding several light bars and a high-visibility vest in his Ford F-150. After RCMP issued a public release in mid-March, two additional victims came forward. One woman was stopped in January and warned that she was not driving well. Dashcam footage obtained through a search warrant showed a third driver was stopped on the Trans-Canada Highway on Feb. 19 and given a verbal warning for speeding.

Wu told the court the truck had flashing red and white lights and the drivers believed Church was a police officer. He said the conduct could cause significant fear in the community and erode trust in people lawfully exercising police authority. Defence lawyer Jonathan Israels said Church believed he was doing Good Samaritan work on the highway and had blurred the boundary between volunteer work and policing. Church, a general contractor who also volunteers, apologized to the victims and said he understood his conduct was unlawful and undermined public trust.