Richardson was arrested on a felony count of impersonating a police officer.

"I know what it's like to be one of you," police quoted Richardson as saying. "I respect you because I did it for a day chasing and helping people. My intentions are never to hurt people, just to help."

Police said Richardson's impersonation in 2009 was so convincing he was able to go on patrol with a real officer for more than five hours before he was discovered.