EL PASO, Texas -- Last August, Kristen Robles was pulled over by someone she thought was a police officer. However, as it turned out, it was man impersonating an officer, and he stole her car.

"A car pulled me over and said I was speeding and, I mean, like once he got to the vehicle, he looked like he was going to take out a ticket book or whatever, and he ended up pulling out a gun," said Kristen Robles, of east El Paso.

A plan to have officers carry better, more secure ID cards has her full support.

"Almost like a dollar bill, almost you know. They have the identification type so you can't... counterfeiting, they should have something like that," said Robles.

Besides basic information, the new IDs will carry either the officer's thumb print or bar code, as well as an easy way to check up on the information.

"Also, a 24-hour number where someone can contact and verify that the person on that ID card is truly an active police officer," said Officer Chris Mears, with the El Paso Police Department.

Large police departments around Texas were given until 2010 to comply with the new ID rules, however, the El Paso Police Department plans to comply much sooner than that.

"We're hoping to be in compliance by about April of 2008," said Mears.

According to officials, the new IDs reflect the continuing emphasis on security after Sept. 11, and are more about controlling access to secure facilities than traffic stops.

"It's just a better way of having proof, or other agencies being able to verify that someone that's presenting him or herself as an officer with the El Paso Police Department is truly an officer with the El Paso Police Department," said Mears.