New York DA issues apology after being caught berating police during traffic stop: 'I'm disciplining myself'
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley released a public apology on Monday for her conduct during a heated traffic stop that went viral.
Doorley shared a pre-recorded apology video saying she is taking "full responsibility" for her behavior during a traffic stop last week that was caught on video.
"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," Doorley explained in her video.
"I was dealing with three homicides that occurred on 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," Doorley continued.
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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.
In the video, the officer asks Doorley to cooperate, but she refuses.
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 home from work."
At one point during the exchange, 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.
Following the release of the video, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is seeking a state investigation and 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 previously obtained by Fox News Digital.
The governor added that 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."
Doorley acknowledged her actions and issued a statement on Thursday claiming 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."
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"I acknowledged that I was speeding and I accepted the ticket. By 1:00 p.m. 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.
During her video, Doorley offered another apology to the officer she berated and acknowledged that her behavior was wrong.
"But we all have bad days and stress, and it was wrong for me to take it out on an officer who was just doing his job," she continued. "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."
Doorley continued and apologized to the community, saying she was going to "make this right."
"If one of my assistant district attorneys had acted this way, I would’ve 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," Doorley said in her video.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.