February 15, 2017
A New Jersey police department is investigating an officer for threatening the occupants of a vehicle during a traffic stop after video of the incident was posted on social media.
The Atlantic City Police Department announced Wednesday that the officer has been placed on administrative assignment while Internal Affairs conducts the investigation, which was ordered by police chief Henry White. "The language and tone used by our officer in the video is concerning and is not condoned by this department," the department said in a statement.
It is unclear when or where the incident occurred. However, police said the officer was wearing a body-worn camera and its contents will be reviewed by detectives.
The 82-second video, which was uploaded on Facebook Tuesday night, begins when the unidentified officer becomes upset that someone in the vehicle is recording the encounter on a phone. Throughout the confrontation, the officer spews profanities and threatens physical violence on the occupants of a vehicle. The video ends when the officer orders the person recording to turn off his cell phone.
(Warning: The video contains some explicit language.)
The department promised to investigate the complaint in an expeditious and thorough manner and reminded citizens that officers "have worked hard to gain the trust and confidence of the community by becoming part of the community with many of our programs such as Pizza with the Police and Coffee with the Cop."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Atlantic City Police Department Internal Affairs Section at (609) 347-5833.
