Taking the Law Into His Own Hands : Crime: Investigators say George Kostas had the makings of his own, private police force--and that he went too far to project the image.

He was only trying to help, he told police. But investigators in the Redondo Beach Police Department believe 36-year-old George Theodore Kostas of Torrance went beyond the thin blue line by assembling his own “deputies” and posing as a police officer.

Kostas was arrested Nov. 13 and is facing 13 felony and misdemeanor charges for illegal possession of firearms, impersonating a police officer, issuing deceptive identification cards and carrying concealed weapons.

In a search of Kostas’ apartment after his arrest, investigators said they found thousands of dollars of equipment, including 30 guns, four batons, a bulletproof vest, a laminating machine for identification cards, a dark jacket with the word AGENT printed on the back and several dozen boxes of ammunition.

Police said they think Kostas has not arrested anyone or interfered with police investigations, but he used his official-looking gear and fake identification cards to dupe people into thinking he ran an official law enforcement agency.

“He sees nothing wrong with what he’s doing,” said Redondo Beach Detective Mark Rodina. “He thinks he’s here to help us.”

“This is bizarre,” added Richard Wilson, a deputy district attorney assigned to the South Bay Municipal Court. “This person, from all the paraphernalia, appears he is seriously obsessed with police officers and police behavior. It makes it extremely difficult for the police to do their job. . . . The public has to have confidence in them (police). When you have people like this running around, it erodes that confidence.”

Kostas pleaded innocent at his arraignment Nov. 17 and is free on $35,000 bail. In court Wednesday to ask for a delay in his preliminary hearing, Kostas, dressed in a dark gray suit and tie, appeared calm. Both he and his attorney, Frank D. Rorie, declined to comment on the case.

At the time of his arrest, investigators said Kostas was running a company called the California Special Investigations Agency, which specialized in helping bail bondsmen track down bail jumpers.

Police said 10 to 12 people worked for Kostas on a part-time basis, apparently believing they were official deputies of an actual government agency. Rodina said Kostas deputized his associates by issuing them official-looking badges and fake identification, including a card with their description, photo and the state seal of California printed on it.

Rodina also said that Kostas had obtained two sets of “E” license plates, the kind issued to government authorities. It was those official license plates that Rodina said gave Kostas’ story some credibility when he tried to recruit people to work with him.

“George is very believable; he’s a good salesman,” Rodina said. “Everything looked official. . . . People told us, ‘We thought something was wrong, but he did have those E plates.’ ”

Police said no one who worked for Kostas has been charged, and they are all talking with police.

“Everybody is being very cooperative,” Rodina said. “It is hard to show they had any criminal intent. Everybody is real embarrassed, and they don’t want to get involved.”

Rodina said Kostas also used the letterhead of Redondo Beach Police Chief Roger M. Moulton to send a letter to police agencies in Brazil, asking them if they would like to send representatives to the United States for general police training.

That attracted the attention of the U.S. State Department, which contacted Redondo Beach police on Sept. 30 to seek information on Kostas. The Redondo Beach police had never heard of Kostas and let the matter drop, figuring that the State Department would handle the matter, Rodina said.

On Nov. 12, a Redondo Beach patrol officer confiscated a California Special Investigations Agency identification card, which closely resembled a police ID card, from a man trying to enter a Redondo Beach nightclub. The man, whom police declined to identify, turned out to be one of Kostas’ associates. Police then assigned a surveillance unit to monitor Kostas’ activities.

The next day, while Kostas was driving through the San Gabriel Valley, the surveillance officers became suspicious because the trunk of his car was low to the ground. They stopped Kostas and found more than 30 rifles and other guns in his car, including a loaded .45-caliber handgun on the seat next to him, Rodina said.

Kostas’ dark blue 1990 Crown Victoria, the same kind of car driven by some police officers, carried a C 1 marking on the car’s trunk, a designation usually reserved for a chief of police.

Investigators think Kostas was on his way to a gun show in Pomona to sell some of his items, which included five antique handguns, two crossbows with arrows, a gun belt, and uniforms from Australian police departments.

Rodina said Kostas had access to various types of gear through his job at The Gun Shop in Redondo Beach. Sabrina Barata, gun store manager, would not comment on Kostas other than to say he left the job a month ago.

“He is no longer with us, and I have nothing to do with him,” she said.

Rodina said the investigation into Kostas’ activities is continuing.

“He believed what he’s doing is OK,” Rodina said. “He just doesn’t understand you can’t make your own police department. He believes he’s assisting law enforcement.”