A 32-year veteran of the Oklahoma Metropolis police division is on paid administrative depart after getting arrested for driving underneath the affect. Bodycam footage of the incident paints a bleak image of the officer as he pleads for the arresting officer to show off the digicam in order that they will have a personal dialog. “I don’t present favoritism,” says the on-duty officer.

The officer arrested for DUI is James “Matt” French, a Captain with the OKPD. Officer Christopher Skinner pulled French over for dashing and swerving between lanes. After making contact with French, Skinner wrote that his breath smelled of alcohol, his eyes have been watering, and his speech was slurred. In response to a query about whether or not or not he had been consuming, French replies “I’m a captain on the police division.”

After Skinner repeated the query, French gestures in direction of his chest and whispers “flip your digicam off” twice earlier than Skinner clearly says “I’m not turning my digicam off.” French confirms that he’s a part of the Investigations division and continues pleading for Skinner to show off his bodycam. “Will you please discuss to me? You may flip it off and switch it on,” he continues.

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Admirably, the video exhibits that Skinner replies clearly “I perceive that sir… I’m a sergeant and I’ve taken an oath to uphold the legislation. I don’t present favoritism to anybody regardless. I don’t care for those who’re a gang banger or the President of america.” After the arrest, data point out that French bonded out of jail later that morning. Whereas he’s on depart now, the investigation is constant.

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“As quickly as we have been notified of the incident, he was positioned on administrative depart with pay,” OKCPD Chief Wade Gourley mentioned to OKCFox25. “We do have a course of that when felony fees are filed, per our FOP contract, we do what is known as a pre-determination listening to to then put that individual on depart with out pay, as a result of once more it’s a felony matter. So we will put him on depart with out pay, however there’s a course of we now have to undergo to try this.”

As for whether or not or not Officer Skinner may face the ire of his co-workers, Chief Gourley appears to have his again. “The officer did precisely as he ought to have, and dealt with it very professionally for my part. So far as how the officer responded, he did precisely as he ought to have,” Gourley mentioned. “Our insurance policies of our physique digicam, there’s sure sorts of calls that the physique cameras are required to be on, and visitors stops are a kind of.

“So the officer informed him, you already know, ‘I can’t flip the digicam off.’ As to why Captain French was saying that, I can solely make assumptions, however the officer did precisely as he ought to have by not turning the digicam off.”

Picture Credit score: The Oklahoman / YouTube