Man can escape the law, but the law can’t escape the man. It might not make sense, but that’s likely the belief of one former and fired cop in Florida. The man kept on enforcing the law and posing as a cop despite being fired several months ago. After getting caught by actual cops, however, the former cop explained that he did it because he was used to it and because he apparently was a really good cop before he got fired.
39-year-old Paul Fluty of Florida is the man in question, and he was a former Miami-Dade officer, but again, he was fired back in May for failing a drug test. On September 22, however, Volusia County police officers caught Fluty impersonating law enforcement, complete with an old US Marshal badge and credentials. Fluty was even conducting his own investigation, supposedly tracking a girl (who wasn’t officially missing). Despite his intentions, Fluty was immediately arrested.
After the arrest, Fluty told the Volusia County cops that he is a private investigator now and mistakenly provided his badge and credentials as “out of habit.” Additionally, Fluty also tried to wiggle out of the arrest by telling the officers to “Google my name. I got officer of the year and everything”. It appears he wasn’t lying about the “Officer of the Year” part since he did get the award in 2020.
Still, that didn’t stop Fluty from getting fired from the Miami-Dade County Police Department because earlier in 2025, he got involved in a domestic violence case, forcing him to undergo a drug test, which he failed back in May. Fluty has since been taken into the Volusia County jail but was quickly released the next day, on September 23, after a $2,000 bond.
People Online Don’t Buy Fluty’s Excuse
While Fluty’s impersonation didn’t or hasn’t caused any harm yet, it appears people online were not as lenient as the police officers and the county department that arrested him and put him on an affordable bond. Some believe that Fluty was acting suspiciously, while others think he should’ve had a heavier penalty.
“You don’t accidentally claim to be a police officer. 🙄,” claims a Reddit user, as Fluty, being a private investigator, should’ve known that he was carrying an old badge and invalid credentials. Others doubted just how exactly he won “Officer of the Year,” especially after the conduct he displayed as a private investigator and how he tried to impersonate a fired cop. “Ticks all the boxes for an Officer of the Year. What excluded the others from winning?” questions another commenter.
As for what exactly Fluty was investigating, apparently, the girl he was trying to locate was also running away from cops, which was why he wasn’t using a car marked for law enforcement despite carrying his old badge and credentials. In any case, Fluty was quickly freed and is now resuming his work as a private investigator on an insurance case.
