A former police officer was arraigned Sunday in Mineola on charges that he allegedly impersonated an officer to make a traffic stop.

An alert police officer caught Mathew Edelman-Winstead, 25, performing a traffic stop Friday on Franklin Avenue in Garden City. The cop was tipped off because Edelman-Winstead was driving a TrailBlazer, which is a vehicle Garden City cops don't use. Prosecutors claim the former NYPD cop, who recently resigned, flashed a badge and may have had lights on his SUV. Investigators later found prescription drugs at the suspect's Rockville Centre apartment. Edelman-Winstead faces charges of impersonating an officer and possession of a controlled substance.

The suspect's lawyer, Michael Franzese, says Edelman-Winstead may have been cut off by another driver. Franzese says he will provide prescriptions for the drugs, and he believes the charges will be greatly reduced. Edelman-Winstead is being held without bail.