We all know we live in a prosecutorial system that favors the well connected over everybody else, but every once in a while things become so obvious that it gets obscene. Cops and DAs have worked together to skirt the law, sure, but you’re at least supposed to act like the rule of law matters for the simple things. Sandra Doorley seemed to miss the memo before this attempted traffic stop and tried flashing her badge instead of just handing over her ID.
From KTOK:
A New York district attorney is apologizing after she berated a police officer and called the police chief after an officer tried to pull her over for speeding last week.
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley was driving home when an officer flagged her going 55 mph in a 35 mph zone. The officer tried to pull her over, but Doorley refused and kept driving.
She drove home, pulled into her garage, and was confronted by the officer. She admitted to speeding and told him she didn’t want to pull over on the road. As the two argued back and forth, Doorley called Webster Police Chief Dennis Kohlmeier and asked, “Can you please tell him to leave me alone?”
Doorley even held her position over the officer, who eventually called a supervisor to the scene.
“I’m the DA … I’m the DA of Monroe County.”
You can see the cop’s footage of the traffic stop here:
It is easy for people in positions of authority to become entitled, especially when the people meant to hold you accountable are co-workers you outrank. It is also dumb — most of the interaction between DA Doorley and the cop that pulled her over was him admonishing her for knowing better. You know what else she should have known better than to do? She should have known better than to talk to the cops when you’re in the middle of arrestable offenses! In the span of about two minutes she switches her motive for refusing to pull over from not wanting to stop on a street at 5:30pm (that’s not a good reason, by the way), to stopping in her house because she thought that it would be easier. Not the brightest move, and that’s before she start yelling at the officers to leave her driveway!
She’s since released a public apology:
I’ll be honest and say that this was a pretty good apology, textbook even. Clear admission of wrongdoing, paid the ticket, offered a concrete plan on what she would do to make amends — hell, she even referred the matter to a different district attorney to wash her hands of bias accusations! Other than not messing up in the first place, it would be hard to improve on her response to the situation. Now, if video comes out the woodwork of her being a repeat offender or if she gets caught doing this again next week, different story. But barring that, kudos for issuing an actual apology. Shane Vaughn should take notes.
New York District Attorney Apologizes For Berating Cop Who Pulled Her Over [KTOK]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
