Kathy Hochul rebukes state district attorney who berated police officer during traffic stop

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) referred Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley to the New York State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct .

The decision, which came on Sunday, was prompted by the emergence of body camera footage of Doorley’s actions and statements during a traffic stop in Webster, New York, last week. The footage provided a detailed context for the referral. Hochul said Doorley “undermined her ability to hold others accountable,” WXXI News reported.

“I’m the DA,” Doorley said on the video. “I was going 55 coming home from work.”

“55 in a 35 [mph zone]?” the officer asked. Doorley replied, “I don’t really care.”

Doorley then called someone and asked that person to tell the officer to leave her alone.

“Can you please tell him to leave me alone?” Doorley said on the phone.

“She failed to stop, drove all the way back home, and parked in her drive,” the officer said to the person on Doorley’s phone. “And now she’s not complying with any of my commands.”

Doorley then walked away from the officer and went inside her house.

“Ma’am, you can’t just go inside. This is a traffic stop,” the officer told her.

“Yes, I can. I understand the law better than you,” Doorley told the officer. “Get out of my f***ing house.”

Doorley’s actions also earned condemnation from the Rochester City Council.

In response to Doorley’s behavior, the Rochester City Council wrote a letter last week to New York Attorney General Letitia James requesting that she launch an investigation into the “conduct of Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley,” News10 NBC reported . The letter claimed that public officials are held to the “highest standards of ethics, accountability, and respect for the law.”

“The behavior exhibited by Ms. Doorley during the traffic stop, as captured in the body camera footage, appears to violate these standards,” the letter noted.

Hochul was also critical of Doorley, saying she considered the incident unacceptable and accusing Doorley of “claiming she is above the law.”

“District Attorneys are responsible for prosecuting criminal and traffic offenses, and must perform their duties with the highest ethical standards,” Hochul said in the statement . “Earlier today, I referred the Monroe County District Attorney to the Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct following the release of police body cam 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.”

“In doing so, she was acting in contravention of her responsibility as a District Attorney and undermined her ability to hold others accountable for violating the law,” Hochul said. “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.”

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Doorley announced last week that she pleaded guilty to speeding. She also released a statement on Thursday claiming she took responsibility for her actions during the traffic stop.

“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 in a statement .