Former police officer attempts traffic stop on driver

A former Las Vegas officer has been arrested after authorities say he attempted to pull a woman over on a moped in Las Vegas, even though he is no longer employed by any policing agency.

Nelson Silva, 69, of Las Vegas, was arrested Sunday. A woman called police at 8:54 p.m., telling officers she was riding her moped near Maryland Parkway and Karen Avenue when a man in a Ford Ranger pickup pulled alongside her. The man, who police say was later identified as Silva, flashed a badge and attempted to get her to pull over, according to his Las Vegas police arrest report.

“(The woman) asked him if he was off duty and Silva stated yes,” police said.

The woman said Silva did not have any flashing lights or sirens on his vehicle but he appeared to be using a radio microphone. The woman got his tag number and drove off, convinced the man was not an actual officer.

Police used the tag number to track Silva down at his residence.

“Silva admitted to flashing his badge at (her,)” police said. “He explained that she was riding her moped slowly in the fast lane.”

According to the police report and Transparent Nevada, Silva is a former Las Vegas officer who was also at one point employed by UNLV police. Police said they arrested Silva because he “no longer has any police powers.”

Las Vegas Justice Court records do not list an attorney for Silva. He has been charged with a single gross misdemeanor count of impersonating a public official. He was released from custody on his own recognizance and has an initial court appearance scheduled for Monday morning.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.