Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley issued a public apology this Monday following a confrontational encounter with a police officer during a traffic stop that was captured on camera and has since gone viral.
In the video, Doorley can be seen attempting to leverage her official position to bypass standard traffic enforcement procedures. The incident, recorded by an officer’s body camera, took place on Phillips Road in the Town of Webster.
An officer attempted to stop Doorley for driving 55 miles per hour in a 35 mile-per-hour zone. Instead of immediately pulling over, the DA continued to her residence, with the officer in pursuit, lights and siren activated.
The footage released by the Town of Webster Police Department shows Doorley behaving arrogantly and attempting to misuse her authority during the interaction. At several points, she sought to intimidate the officer, insinuating that her role as District Attorney could sway the outcome of the traffic stop.
In the body cam video, Doorley is heard telling the officer that she was “stressed” with murder. She also called the police chief in an attempt to get out of trouble.
At another point in the video, she can be heard telling the officer that he should have known better than to pull over a black SUV with her license plate number.
Watch:
NEW: DA Sandra Doorley, who fled from police because she thought she should get special treatment, has reportedly deleted her X account because you all were too mean to her.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 29, 2024
Remarkable!
‘Corrupt Karen’ has fled social media just like she fled the cop after going viral for… pic.twitter.com/VndaXrl8p5
In response to widespread criticism and demands for accountability, Doorley addressed the public through a video and a statement, expressing regret and emphasizing the importance of adhering to the law.
In her apology video released on Monday, Doorley attributed her entitled behavior to work-related stress, which included managing multiple homicide cases and a personal health scare within her family.
Last Monday, I failed you and the standards that 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. I fell short of the values I’ve held for my entire 33-year career. I didn’t treat this officer with the respect that he deserved. All police officers deserve respect. I am truly and sincerely sorry.
I had just come from work. I was dealing with three homicides that occurred over the weekend. I watched a video where an innocent cab driver was executed, and I was still reeling from a frightening medical concern that my husband received that afternoon.
But we all had bad days and stress, and it was wrong for me to take it out on an officer who was simply doing his job. While I previously apologized to him, I will say it again. I’m sorry. Police already have a tough job, and that day I made this officer’s job harder. To the community, I owe you full transparency.
Here’s what I’m doing to hold myself accountable. First, I already pled guilty to the speeding ticket, and I will willingly pay the fine.
Next, I’m referring the entire matter to a district attorney from another county for review and will fully cooperate with that investigation. I am going to self-report this incident to the grievance committee, and I will cooperate with their investigation. Finally, if one of my assistant district attorneys had acted this way, I would have disciplined them, so I’m disciplining myself. I will take ethics training to remind myself that professionalism matters. I’ve been humbled by my own stupidity, and I am fully to blame. I will make this right. I ask for your forgiveness.
Watch:
The unethical and arrogant actions demonstrated by District Attorney @sandra_doorley (or any other officer of the law) are behaviors that exists within their character, not just one bad decision.
— Jonathan T Gilliam (@JGilliam_SEAL) April 29, 2024
100% she should be fired and disbarred immediately.
This apology video is the… pic.twitter.com/SVik8uIfew
