It seems a lot of America's 'justice' takes place in the absence of a judge or jury: in the presence of a prosecutor with a plea bargain offer. At least in third world countries, the coercion and bias is in plain view.
No, I'm pretty certain it is illegal in every state to impersonate a police officer. In some states, it is also illegal to use equipment such as blue lights in a vehicle, etc.
> We know now that the explanation was that Simon was snared in a trap set by people who wanted to end the death penalty, no matter what the cost.