The Honolulu Police Department offered safety tips Friday after two recent impersonations of a police officer.

On Sept. 23, a 95-year-old man told police a man in plain clothes approached his home in Hawaii Kai and identified himself as a police officer who was there to install a surveillance system.

Honolulu Police Sgt. Jerome Pacarro of the District 7 Community Policing Team, which covers East Honolulu, said the resident became suspicious and refused to open his door. The man then left in a black sedan.

The man was described as 30 to 40 years old, between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall, with a muscular build.

On Sept. 26, a man in plain clothes approached a home in Kailua and identified himself as a police officer investigating a suspicious vehicle complaint. The couple who lives there asked for identification and the man showed what appeared to be a leather pouch with the letters “HPD” on it.

The residents let him in, and when they weren’t looking, he allegedly stole credit cards and other items. Pacarro said the couple wasn’t hurt.

The man was described as 6 feet tall and approximately 150 pounds.

No arrests have been made and it’s unknown whether the two cases are related.

Pacarro said cases of impersonating a police officer are generally uncommon in Honolulu.

He offered the following tips to residents to protect themselves and their property:

>> Ask the officer to show an official badge and photo identification card issued by the police department.

>> Call 911 and ask the dispatcher to verify the officer’s identity.

>> Ask the dispatcher to send a patrol officer to verify the officer’s identity.

“Please do not let anybody into the house just because verbally they’re saying they’re HPD. And always lock your doors,” Pacarro said at a news conference Friday at the main Police Department headquarters.

Impersonating an officer is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to a year in prison. An impersonator who is armed is committing a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Pacarro also warned against letting salespeople into the house without verifying their identification.

He advised residents to keep the door closed and locked and request the salesperson to show identification through the peephole.

A resident may also call the company to verify whether the individual is employed there. Pacarro said people may also call 911 and request that a police officer be sent to help in verifying a salesperson’s identity.