Deltona, Florida – A former Miami-Dade police officer was arrested in Volusia County this week on charges of impersonating a police officer.

Deputies responded to a home on Shepherd Avenue after reports of a man parked in a driveway claiming to search for a missing girl. Paul Fluty, 39, identified himself as a Miami-Dade officer working with the U.S. Marshals and showed a badge along with a photo of his credentials. He said the girl was not officially reported missing but that he was tracking her cell phone location.

Detectives later determined Fluty is no longer a police officer and is not affiliated with any federal task force. After his arrest, he said he provided his old badge and credentials “out of habit” and “by mistake,” and that he “accidentally” claimed to be a police officer.

Documents indicate Fluty is actually a private investigator who may have been conducting an insurance-related investigation in the area.

Fluty was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail on Monday night and posted $2,000 bond the following afternoon.

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