A New York district has broken its silence and apologized after she was seen on bodycam video berating an officer for a speeding ticket.
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley released a video statement Monday in response to the viral police footage showing her arguing with a Webster officer and calling him an “a**h****.”
“Last Monday I failed you and the standards I hold myself to, and for that I am so sorry. What I did was wrong: no excuses, I take full responsibility for my actions,” she said in the video.
“I didn’t live up to the values I’ve held for myself throughout my 33-year career. I did not treat this officer with the respect he deserved. All police officers deserve respect. I am truly and sincerely sorry.”
Doorley then claimed that her reaction was due to a stressful day where she “had to deal with three murders.”
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley released a video statement Monday in response to the viral police footage of her arguing with a Webster officer
The disagreement stemmed from a traffic stop conducted when Doorley exceeded the posted speed limit by 20 miles per hour
When the officer explains the reason for the stop, she responds, “I don’t really care” before calling the Webster police chief
The Rochester City Council sent a letter to Attorney General Letitia James on Saturday asking him to investigate Doorley’s conduct
She continued, “I watched a video of an innocent taxi driver being executed and I was still reeling from a frightening medical problem my husband had that afternoon.
“But we all have bad days and stress, and it was wrong of me to take it out on an officer who was just doing his job. Even though I apologized to him before, I’ll say it again: I’m sorry. The police already have a tough job and that day I made this officer’s job even harder.
Doorley then outlined the steps she’s taking to “hold herself accountable.”
“First of all, I have already pleaded guilty to the speeding ticket and I will happily pay the fine,” she said.
“I will then refer the entire case to a prosecutor from another province for review and will fully cooperate with that investigation.”
Doorley also said she will report the incident herself to a complaints committee.
“After all, if any of my assistant district attorneys had acted this way, I would have punished him. So I am disciplining myself,” she added.
“I’m going to take ethics training to remind myself that professionalism matters. I have been humiliated by my own stupidity and it is entirely my fault.’
Doorley’s apology video comes after the Rochester City Council sent a letter to Attorney General Letitia James on Saturday, imploring her to investigate the district attorney’s conduct.
“Recent body camera footage shared by the Webster Police Department has raised significant concerns regarding Doorley’s conduct during a traffic stop in Webster, New York,” the letter said.
“This incident has led us to question her fitness to serve as a prosecutor, and we believe an investigation by your office is warranted.”
The document was signed by all nine council members, who believe Doorley has violated the standards of “ethics, responsibility and respect for the law” that her title requires. Locals say Doorley’s behavior makes a mockery of the law and could lead criminals to say they ignored the laws because they felt like it – the same excuse used by the woman paid to prosecute them.
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley is facing an investigation into her conduct after she was caught on bodycam cursing at a police officer
Council members believe Doorley violated the standards of “ethics, responsibility and respect for the law” to which a prosecutor should be held.
The heated altercation stemmed from an incident on April 22, when an officer followed Doorley to her home after she was caught for speeding 20 miles over the limit in her hulking GMC Yukon SUV.
Doorley only admitted to driving 60 mph in a 55 mph zone after the humiliating bodycam video surfaced.
The footage begins with Doorley telling an officer, “I’m sorry. “I’m the prosecutor I wanted to go to because I got off work.”
When the officer tells Doorley the reason for the traffic stop, she responds, “I don’t really care.”
The officer then orders her to step outside her garage, but she refuses.
As things continue to escalate, the district attorney calls Webster Police Chief Dennis Kohlmeier on her cell phone and asks, “Can you please tell them to leave me alone?”
As the officer tells her that she made the situation worse than it needed to be by refusing to stop, Doorley responds, “Just write me the traffic ticket.”
She passes the phone to the officer and tells him, “Leave me alone, this is ridiculous” and “just leave.”
Doorley released a statement Thursday admitting she was driving over the speed limit and affirming her ‘commitment to the public’
She can be heard calling the officer an “asshole” as she retrieves her badge from her car
As the camera continues to roll, Doorley tells the officer that she knows the law better than he does and at one point calls him a “son of a bitch.”
‘Why are you so against me? I do my job. You say you’re a prosecutor?’ the officer asks.
“I’m the district attorney,” she answers, pulling her badge from her car.
She later moans that she had a bad day “dealing with murders in the city.”
Doorley released a statement Thursday admitting she was going over the speed limit but was “less than half a mile” from her neighborhood.
Once she realized the officer intended to arrest her, Doorley claimed, “I called the Webster police chief to let him know that I was not a threat and that I would meet the officer at my house down the street speak’.
She pleaded guilty in municipal court to a traffic violation “because I believe in accepting responsibility for my actions and did not intend to use my position to receive benefits.”
“No one, including your district attorney, is above the rule of law, not even traffic laws. Anyone who knows me understands without a doubt that I have dedicated my entire 33-year career to the safety of this community,” Doorley continued.
“My work to ensure the safety and respect of law enforcement has been proven time and time again. I stand by my work and continue to stand by my commitment to the public safety of Monroe County.”