Do You Know Who I Am? PANYNJ Commissioner goes on epic tirade

[jeffandnicole]

In what can possibly be a historic case of DYKWIA, along with countless name and position drops, a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Commissioner blasts and berates two very calm officers while standing on the side of the road.  The Commissioner's daughter was a passenger in an out-of-state vehicle which was pulled over, and the driver couldn't produce valid registration and insurance cards.  The daughter called her mom to pick them up.  Mom comes, and instead of simply having a few choice words with the cops and leaving with the kids, undergoes an 8+ minute argument with them.

Traffic wizzes by on Route 9W in Tenafly.  The cops let it go for a while, then suggest that they get off the road with fast traffic and the occasional bicyclist flying by (the speed limit is actually only 40 mph which clearly isn't a concern for anybody).

Links to the video can be found in the news stories below.  It is well worth 8 minutes of your time! 

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/04/watch_video_shows_pa_commissioner_telling_cops_to.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/04/the_top_20_moments_of_port_authority_commissioners.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

[SP Cook]

List of honorable people in the video:

(end of list)

[Brandon]

Public officials seem to go on power trips with cops who bust them for something or the other.

Cases in point:
Romeoville mayor told police chief "˜I'm coming for you' during booking for alleged DUI, police report says
Meeks rips cop on traffic stop

[Brandon]

List of honorable people in the video:

The two officers

By all rights, they should've tossed her in the back of the squad.

[vdeane]

The really ironic part is that it was the Ethics Commissioner, and this whole affair constituted an ethics violation.

[MCRoads]

The real question is, why isn't this in Off Topic? The only thing that is road related in this thread is the fact the incident took place on a road....

[jeffandnicole]

List of honorable people in the video:

The two officers

By all rights, they should've tossed her in the back of the squad.

And honestly, I give the teens some credit too.  They moved to the side, they didn't do anything stupid and they didn't get themselves involved with the Commissioner's bitching. 

Public officials seem to go on power trips with cops who bust them for something or the other.

There was one memorable case where a public official didn't go on a power trip...when our former governor's wife Mary Pat Christie got pulled over for using a cell phone!  In fact, it went so unnoticed that it wasn't discovered until nearly 7 months later when a reporter did a general public information query on driving histories for the Governor, those running for Governor, and their families at the time (yeah, reporters dig deep).  Very surprising, Ms. Christie's name popped up.  Per the story below, the officer who stopped Ms. Christie didn't realize it was her at the time, and apparently the mandatory court session for the ticket, with her there, went unnoticed by anyone as well.  In the video in the story, the back and forth sounds like nearly any other traffic stop when someone's trying to plead their case to the officer.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/11/nj_first_lady_caught_in_distracted_driving_crackdo.html

[vdeane]

There's also the case of President Grant.  He was pulled over because his buggy was going way too fast, and the police officer tried to back out of writing the ticket when he found out who he pulled over.  Grant instead told the police officer to continue writing the ticket and paid the $20 fine.

[jeffandnicole]

The Commissioner released a statement, in which was graciously termed an apology.   

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/04/port_authority_commissioner_responds_to_outcry_ove.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

This part is incredible though.  It literally contradicts everything she said and did shown on the video:

However, at no point did I violate the Port Authority's Code of Ethics or ask for special treatment for anyone involved, nor did I suggest, in any way, that I would use my position at the Port Authority to affect the outcome of the violations issued to the driver...

Due to her former position with the PANYNJ and her actions here, IMO they absolutely must bring her up on charges.  Many people don't exactly trust the Port Authority to begin with ($15 tolls kinda pisses people off); to have an ethics officer claim what she said above speaks volumes about that agency.

[hbelkins]

This story has gotten a lot of play nationally.

I've seen several that refer to it as a profanity-laced tirade, but I saw it yesterday and only heard one f-bomb.

I've also seen several stories that refer to a connection between her and one of the Clintons (Bill or Hillary). Was she a political appointee in the Clinton administration or a former aide to Hillary when she was secretary of state?

I think those two cops acted very honorably. They were under no legal obligation to tell that woman anything, as she was not a party to the traffic stop. They were much more patient than I would have been. I probably would have taken her in for disorderly conduct or obstruction of justice. Not sure why anyone would feel differently about the officers' actions.

[jeffandnicole]

This story has gotten a lot of play nationally.

I've seen several that refer to it as a profanity-laced tirade, but I saw it yesterday and only heard one f-bomb.

I've also seen several stories that refer to a connection between her and one of the Clintons (Bill or Hillary). Was she a political appointee in the Clinton administration or a former aide to Hillary when she was secretary of state?

I think those two cops acted very honorably. They were under no legal obligation to tell that woman anything, as she was not a party to the traffic stop. They were much more patient than I would have been. I probably would have taken her in for disorderly conduct or obstruction of justice. Not sure why anyone would feel differently about the officers' actions.

There was one f-bomb, and "ass" was used a few times.  That part is definitely being exaggerated by the media.  Cops hear worse over a parking ticket.

In the 14 minute version of the video that was released, as the car is being put up on the flatbed, the Commissioner walks over to the tow truck driver and asks for his address.  The cop tries to keep her separated from the tow operator, because he's simply doing his job.  She utters "ass" a few more times.  The cop tells her that the driver and her daughter were actually quite pleasant.  The commissioner continues to say that there's now 5 kids in the car crying (only 4, actually), and that the cops ruined their Easter and Passover (previously it was just Easter; one of the kids must've converted while standing on the side of the road).  As for the crying - the kids were all just standing to the side; it doesn't sound like any of them were crying over the incident. 

The Commissioner was previously an aide on Hillary Clinton's finance committee during her election run.  She apparently has been a life-long lobbyist in DC.

[hbelkins]

I only saw one version, which clocked in around 8 minutes, that didn't include the hoisting of the vehicle onto the flatbed, or utterances of "ass" unless I just missed them.

You'd think, if all those students were so smart (MIT students and all) that the driver would know he was driving an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.

[jeffandnicole]

I only saw one version, which clocked in around 8 minutes, that didn't include the hoisting of the vehicle onto the flatbed, or utterances of "ass" unless I just missed them.

You'd think, if all those students were so smart (MIT students and all) that the driver would know he was driving an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.

I think ass was muttered once in the 8 minute version.  The 14 minute version includes the next 6 minutes which includes the car being put up on the flatbed (done on the opposite side of the road, off camera but within microphone range) and the Commissioner's continuing ranting.

[roadman]

There's also the case of President Grant.  He was pulled over because his buggy was going way too fast, and the police officer tried to back out of writing the ticket when he found out who he pulled over.  Grant instead told the police officer to continue writing the ticket and paid the $20 fine.

There's also this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrTTHdDDqdU

[adventurernumber1]

"I was here for your graduation when you guys came in - in the town - and it wasn't that long ago."

That may have been the most ridiculous thing the woman said in the entire video (not the worst or most profane thing she said - but the most BS and laughable thing she said).     

(skip to 5:18 in this video to see)

[Alps]

The real question is, why isn't this in Off Topic? The only thing that is road related in this thread is the fact the incident took place on a road....

It's a Port Authority commissioner. That's also roads related

[Mergingtraffic]

Just the fact that the PANYNJ charges a fee for an EZ Pass transponder while the MTA does not speaks volumes, so I'm not surprised here.

[vdeane]

The MTA is barred from charging a fee by NY state law.  The Port Authority gets away with it because it's a bi-state authority with NJ, which has no such prohibition.