Constable charged with playing cop

A constable in Delaware County faces charges of impersonating a police officer after he allegedly threaten to ticket a neighbor during a dustup at a neighborhood yard sale.

Robert Dugan, 47, of Upland, is charged with impersonating a public servant, harassment and disorderly conduct. He is awaiting a preliminary hearing. Dugan is a constable for the Borough of Upland.

According to public records, Doreen McGettigan had double parked her car to unload items to her house. Customers at the April 6th yard sale across the street had taken all the available parking. Dugan who drives a white and black Ford Crown Victoria, the same model many police departments use, pulled up next to McGettigan and began yelling obscenities. He told her to move the car or it would be towed. McGettigan told him there was enough room for him to drive around her car.

Dugan insisted McGettigan move her vehicle and said "I am an Upland cop and you are getting tickets." When McGettigan asked for his identification, Dugan scream obscenities and drove away. Neighbors who witnessed the incident told McGettigan that Dugan was not a cop.

"So I called the real police," McGettigan told police, according to court records.

In Pennsylvania, constables are elected at the municipal level to a six-year term. They serve warrants, maintain order at the polls during elections and can transport prisoners to court hearings.