East Lansing police released a composite drawing Tuesday of a man they believe has impersonated a police officer in the area.

A female MSU student was stopped near Albert and M.A.C. avenues on her way to work Nov. 11 by a man impersonating an officer.

It was the third reported incident in East Lansing in the last year, but police don’t know if they are related.

The subject is described as white about 40 years old, 6 feet tall and 200 pounds with a slight pot belly. He is slightly balding with dark brown hair.

The man impersonating an officer told the student she had been pulled over because it was a football Saturday and he was checking for intoxicated drivers. The woman questioned the validity of the stop and asked to see his badge number. The subject then left the scene.

East Lansing officers wear dark blue shirts and light blue pants with dark blue stripes. A shoulder of the uniform has a badge with the city emblem and an eagle-shaped badge which appears heart shaped from a distance.

The impersonator’s outfit was the right color scheme, but with an American flag emblem on the right shoulder. His badge was square.

His vehicle also is inconsistent with official police cruisers.

East Lansing police vehicles are navy blue and have "East Lansing Police" on the side with green and white stripes. The impersonator’s car, a dark blue Ford Crown Victoria, looks similar but does not have stripes or a car number. The subject’s car has red and blue rotating overhead lights. Unlike East Lansing police cruisers, the subject’s headlights did not flash.

Impersonating an officer carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $500 fine.

If citizens are worried an officer may not be real, they can ask to see a city-issued police identification card.