Woman posed as police officer to avoid citation before Lee County arrest

A Phenix City woman posed as a police officer using an old Columbus Police identification card to avoid a citation for an expired tag according to a press release from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

A Lee County Sheriff’s deputy performed a traffic stop on July 31, 2026, in the 200 block of Lee Road 600 in Smiths Station, AL, for an expired tag. When the deputy approached the driver-side door of the vehicle, the driver, Shaina Miller (32) of Phenix City, was holding a small wallet with a clear plastic cover containing what appeared to be an ID card. The driver pulled the ID card out and sat it on her lap. She then pulled out her driver’s license and handed that to the deputy. When asked what the ID card on her lap was, Miller responded with “CPD”. The deputy asked if she worked there and what she did, and Miller specified that she was a Police Officer.

Upon leaving the traffic stop, the deputy contacted a member of the Columbus Police Department (CPD) who advised that Miller was no longer employed at CPD. The deputy returned to the area of the original traffic stop, located Miller, and performed a second traffic stop. When he approached the vehicle, the deputy requested Miller’s police ID, which she turned over, and asked when she left CPD, to which she responded 2024. She admitted to having used the police ID to get out of tickets at traffic stops.

Miller has been charged with felony Impersonating a Peace Officer and was transported to the Lee County Detention Center with a bond of $3,000. She has since bonded out.

Sheriff Jay Jones stated, “The Lee County Sheriff’s Office continues our vigilance in detecting and preventing any actions that undermine the men and women engaged in providing professional public service. Impersonating a law enforcement officer is an affront to law enforcement and the public and should never be tolerated.”