NY DA berates police officer, ignores commands during traffic stop: 'I don't really care'
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul referred Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley for a state investigation over video of a traffic stop for speeding 20 mph over the limit.
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is seeking a state investigation into Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley in connection to bodycam video released from a recent traffic stop.
Doorley, a Republican who reportedly switched her enrollment from the Democratic Party in 2015, was caught driving 55 mph in a 35 mph zone in the town of Webster, New York, on April 22.
The district attorney did not pull over, and an officer followed her with lights and sirens roughly a half mile away to Doorley’s home, records show. The video, obtained by WXXI and other outlets through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows an officer walking up the driveway and into Doorley’s garage, where she parked her vehicle.
As the exchange with the officer grew heated, Doorley called Webster Police Chief Dennis Kohlmeier, asking him, "Can you please tell him to leave me alone?"
"I don't really care," she said at one point.
"If you give me a traffic ticket, that’s fine. I’m the one who prosecutes it. Just go ahead and do it," Doorley says. The officer responds, "I just don’t understand the hostility. I understand you’re coming come from work."
"And half the time I was on the phone with Dennis telling him ‘why are you pulling me over?’" she says.
"You’re not even supposed to be on the phone to begin with," the officer says.
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The district attorney says, "I’m hands free. Absolutely. You should know the law."
"If it is hands free, that’s great. But at the end of the day you were going 55 in a 35. That’s 20 miles over the speed limit," the officer says.
"That’s fine. Do you know what I’ve been dealing with all day? Three murders in the city. And do you think I really care if I was going 20 miles over the speed limit?" Doorley asks.
The officer is heard saying, "I’m just doing my job. If you pulled over when you saw my lights, which obviously you did."
Doorley says, "I thought you were going somewhere else because I thought no one would ever pull a black SUV if you ran my plates."
"I didn’t run your plates. I just called your plates out. And then I’m following you because you’re not stopping so I had to take the air from dispatch," the officer says.
The officer tells Doorley to come outside, but the district attorney refuses, saying she’s waiting for the officer to leave. He says he’s waiting for a supervisor to come because "that’s what my chief told me to do."
Doorley calls the officer an "a--hole," and tells him to "get out of my f---ing house," as the officer is heard saying that she keeps defying his commands to come outside.
Hochul said she is referring Doorley to the Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct "following the release of police bodycam footage showing her claiming she is above the law, attempting to use her public office to evade responsibility, and acting unprofessionally towards a police officer simply trying to do his job."
"District Attorneys are responsible for prosecuting criminal and traffic offenses, and must perform their duties with the highest ethical standards," Hochul said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
The governor said Doorley was "acting in contravention of her responsibility as a District Attorney and undermined her ability to hold others accountable for violating the law," adding, "We are deeply grateful to the men and women of law enforcement who put on a uniform each day to protect the safety of all New Yorkers."
The state commission has the authority "to review and investigate the conduct of prosecutors" through a full range of investigative functions, "including holding hearings, subpoenaing witnesses, requiring production of documents, conferring immunity, and transmitting findings of fact and recommendations regarding sanctions to the relevant attorney grievance committee."
The all-Democrat Rochester City Council also penned a letter asking New York Democrat Attorney General Letitia James to investigate, saying the incident "has led us to question her fitness to serve as District Attorney."
Doorley issued a statement on Thursday recalling how she "was driving home following a busy day at work" and admitted "that I was not paying attention to my speed on Phillips Road in the Town of Webster."
"Less than half a mile from my neighborhood, I noticed a Webster Police car behind me. Once I realized that the intention of the car was to pull me over, I called the Webster Police Chief to inform him that I was not a threat and that I would speak to the Officer at my house down the street," she said. "The Webster Police Officer followed me to my house and issued me a speeding ticket for my speed of 55mph in a 35mph zone."
"I acknowledged that I was speeding and I accepted the ticket. By 1:00PM the following day, I pled guilty and sent the ticket to the Webster Town Court because I believe in accepting responsibility for my actions and had no intention of using my position to receive a benefit. Nobody, including your District Attorney, is above the rule of law, even traffic laws," Doorley said.
"Anybody who knows me understands without a doubt that I have dedicated my entire 33 year career to the safety of this community," she added. "My work to ensure the safety and respect of law enforcement is well proven time and time again. I stand by my work and stand by my commitment to the public safety of Monroe County."