A Connecticut State Trooper nearing retirement has been placed on administrative duty pending an internal affairs investigation after he was caught on video launching into an expletive-laced tirade at a motorist he had just pulled over.
A Connecticut State Trooper who said he was nearing retirement has been placed on administrative duty pending an internal affairs investigation after he was caught on video launching into an expletive-laced tirade at a motorist he had just pulled over.
The driver began recording the trooper on his cell phone after he was pulled over for allegedly speeding and giving the finger to the trooper, who he said was in an unmarked car.
The driver asks the trooper, "Can I just ask you why you’re riding their butt like that and speeding, man?"
The trooper tells the driver he was pursuing a speeding trucker.
“I was driving along, I was going to ask you a simple citation that I keep, but no. You've got to be 'Uuuh.'"
When the trooper tells the driver to get out of the car, things get heated.
"Everyone's got something to ******* say!" the trooper says.
“Why am I speeding? I’m doing my [expletive] job.” He then cites a state statute that allows police to disregard traffic laws in performance of their duty.
"I've got 14 months, I can't ******* wait to be done," the trooper can be heard saying.
"Mind your own business and be on your way," the trooper says before driving off. The driver later posted a video to YouTube calling the trooper a "loose cannon."
The driver was not ticketed.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner Col. Stavros Mellekas called the behavior "disturbing."
"While the Trooper’s behavior in the video is disturbing, it is not indicative of the great work of the women and men of the Connecticut State Police and their dedication to protecting and serving during this pandemic," the statement said.
The trooper will not be allowed to interact with the public while in an administrative capacity.
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