The officer tells Turner that both the driver and her daughter were informed as to where it would be stored. What happened? While in her statement Turner said, at no point did I violate the Port Authoritys 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, the boards resolution declares otherwise. ', Less than a minute into the Tenafly Police dashcam video, the police officer is heard saying, "Alright, so you guys are all set.". For those who missed the controversy, Caren Turner, a former Port Authority commissioner, made headlines when dashcam video emerged of her interaction with two Tenafly police officers who. And whenthe Tenafly police released a dashcam video of the traffic stop on Tuesday, well, the world united in shared outrage over the alternately appalling, obnoxious and plainly inexplicablebehavior of now ex-Commissioner Caren Turner. Twenty seconds after arriving, Caren Turner has identified herself by name. Turner had abruptly resigned from her Port Authority seat last week after the video surfaced, making the public censure largely symbolic. "You are not involved here. "I've got all your information, sweetheart," responds Turner, "I know Sikoryak" apparently dropping another name, that of Tenafly Police dispatcher, George Sikoryak. On the afternoon of March 31, Turner, who chaired the board's ethics committee, intervened in a traffic stop involving her daughter. ', As the officer examines the gold shield, Turner, wearing a plum colored, hooded vest, lowers her voice somewhat and answers, "I am a commissioner of the Port Authorityand I'm heading up over 4,000 police officers.". He said, I dont say anything about your behavior, but you are demanding more than our approach. 2023 www.northjersey.com. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. "I got four people who are coming back to my house, including people who live in New Haven, attending Yale graduate school, a PhD student," says Turner. The video showed her attempting to intervene with police--first by flipping out her Port Authority gold badge and insisting she be addressed as "commissioner," then trying to bully the officers by dropping the names of higher-ups in town, and then ending with a string of profanities. Just so there's no discrepancies," says the officer, Matt Savitsky, with the calm righteousness of a man who knows all of this is being filmed, and that Commissioner Turner is not going to come out of this one looking good. The video, which has no clear sound, shows the 60-year-old Democratic lobbyist waving to an officer and talking to someone at the front desk. When the officer said, try to understand Miss, she said, dont call me Miss, Im a commissioner. Police dash cam video shows. she asks the officers, handing out Port Authority business cards. The Port Authority oversees airports, bridges, tunnels and rail facilities across the region. By signing up to the Blaze News newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from Blaze Media that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. He has since recused himself on four occasions, which include an item today pertaining to insurance coverage for the World Trade Center.. This isn't going to go down nicely," warns Turner. ", The officer says the car has to be impounded, and the driver nods and responds agreeably through the conversation, even prompting the officer to tell him, "You seem like a really nice guy, I don't mean to be doing this to you, putting you in this spot. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey sought to make one thing abundantly clear on Thursday: Despite former Commissioner Caren Turner's misbehavior, the agency has come a long way since . Thank you. Things now get heated, as Turner threatens to go over their heads to their boss. In a statement posted byNew Jersey On-Line, the agencysaid: Turner received a law degree from Georgetown University and served on the National Finance Committee for Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, according to her company bio. Soon after, Port Authority commissioners voted to get rid of their badges. The car is owned by the parents of the driver's girlfriend, who was also in the car, and the officer explains to the driver that the car has been unregistered for two years: "We can't have an unregistered car that's operating on the street. "No, no, no, no, I need to know," Turner said. "You know what, Matt? You may shut the f--- up and not tell me when I may take my kid and her friends, who are Ph.D. students from M.I.T. If ever there were a time for Turner to walk away and salvage her reputation, it would be now. OToole said he took his badge out just once to show his kids, who thought it was cute.. Enter Caren Z. Turner, a Port Authority commissioner at the center of the scandal and mother of one of the backseat passengers. Call it privilege run amok. The officer responds, "Your daughter is not being summoned. She told to NJ.com that my daughter was in the car with her three friends when a police officer pulled over the car. He said she spoke to Lt. Timothy O'Reilly at police headquarters only to inquire about the legal requirements to remove the vehicle from impound. Turner has been fired from her post as a Port Authority commissioner, but her troubles may not end there. She was never charged by police with any wrongdoing. This isn't going to go down nicely.'. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And we will not go back to what once was.. We will not go back to the way it was.. The video showed that a Democrat lobbyist was shouting at the responding officers and saying may you shut. The first officer, perhaps because this is a total non-sequitur, is unmoved. We'll go to (Mayor) Rustin.". But one of the passengers was the daughter of Caren Z. Turner, a commissioner at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where she oversaw its ethics panel (until her firing, that is, on Monday). The bi-state agency received a complaint about Turner's actions on April 11. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? Chris Christie. ", Later, out of sight of the camera, after the car is impounded by a police-contracted towing operator, she tells the officer: "I hope you're happy because you seem to have a smug-ass look on your face and it seems to please you. Turner asks, apparently referring to Tenafly police traffic officer Louis Smaragdakis. In deep trouble, I reached there to pick them up. After her tirade with Tenafly police, former Port Authority commissioner Caren Turner went to the Tenafly police headquarters to ask about the impounded car. Former Chairman David Samson, another Christie ally, resigned in 2014 after it was revealed that he'd used his power as chairman to coerce United Airlines to operate a direct flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, for his convenience. However, there are only 1,600 officers employed at the Port Authority. That's pathetic. Caren Turner, the former chairman of the Port Authority's Governance and Ethics Committee, belittled the Tenafly officers wh After arriving in her Mercedes sedan but of course! The Port Authority called the findings of the investigation "profoundly disturbing." "After Commissioner Turner became aware of the investigation, she resigned," it said in a statement. That is why I used some harsh words and tone. "You may shut the f--- up and not tell me when I may take my kid and her friends, who are Ph.D. students from MIT and Yale. By Hafiz Hamza Last updated Jul 15, 2022. Chris Christie appointed Caren Turner to the Port Authority. ", Moment Fifteen: 'You know what, Matt? Chris Christie had engineered a scheme to close lanes at the George Washington Bridge to punish the mayor of Fort Lee, who'd declined to endorse Christie's re-election that year. In an interview with NJ Advance Media on Tuesday, Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin said that he'd not spoken to Turner since the traffic stop. One of the officers called Turner "miss," and she quickly reprimanded him and instructed him to address her as "commissioner.". I'm very involved. And you can tell that to everybody. She said, I have noted your name and you would face my enmity. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. ", But the officer continues, "You don't seem like a very big police supporter, I don't know. People cross the line and don't know when to stop. The tense exchange continues for several minutes. Two others, Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly, are appealing their convictions. You're being very demanding with me," the officer says. The Port Authority Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to censure Caren Z. Turner, once a prominent fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and referred the. Turner was apparently called to the site of the traffic stop to pick up her daughter and her friends. She told about the people pulled out by police from cars and said, one of them is a Ph.D. student while Yale is still a student graduating. "As a parent, I was upset and uncomfortable with the unfolding events. "When I realized who she was and what committee she headed at the Port Authority I was shocked, no wonder why our political system is so screwed up." Turner, in the statement also encouraged the Tenafly Police Department to review best practices with respect to tone and de-escalation, so that incidents like this do not recur.. Moment Ten: 'I was here for your graduation". One officer takes a proffered business card, but lead officer declines, saying, "I don't need that." It started out as a routine traffic stop for an obscured out-of-state license plate. Turner's tirade against the patrol officers included profanity, insults and the repeated reference of her position as a Port Authority commissioner, all captured in a video. Shame on both of you. "The conduct captured on the video is bullying and obstructionist. The Turner episode was an embarrassment for an agency that's struggled to rebuild its public reputation in the wake of the 2013 Bridgegate scandal. I'm involved. ", "No, don't call me miss," Turner said. You're being very demanding with me," the officer says. Except it's never a good look to name drop whenyou don't actually know the person's name. A former police commissioner for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Turner was captured bullying. You may shut the f*** up and not tell me when I can take my kid and her friends who are Ph.D. students from MIT and Yale," she said. Ms. Turner, in a statement, apologized for her tone and off-color language, and then called for the Tenafly Police Department to review its policies with respect to tone and de-escalation, so that incidents like this do not recur., Port Authority Censures Former Commissioner Who Berated Police, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/nyregion/port-authority-censure-turner.html, Full video: Port Authority commissioner confronts police during N.J. traffic stop, a statement about the episode she released publicly. Trust me. After Turner's daughter called mom for a ride home, things took a major turn for the crazy. One of the officers said its a ridiculous way to talk and behave with us. Caren Turner, who led the Port Authoritys ethics committee, resigned from the agency in April after its leadership learned of the badge incident. All rights reserved, NBC 4 to Exclusively Air and Stream Live Coverage of 262nd St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 17, Nasty Winter Storm Eyes NYC Area: Heavy Rain, 40 MPH Winds, Snow Expected Over 12-Hour Siege, This 26-Year-Old Pays $0 to Live in a Luxury Tiny Home' She Built for $35,000 in Her Backyard Take a Look Inside, Port Authority commissioner Caren Z. Turner was captured on police dash cam ranting at and cursing at police officers in Tenafly in March, Her daughter was in a car that had been pulled over; she yells at the cops, "You may shut the f--- up! "She" is Caren Z. Turner, who abruptly resigned on Monday as the Port Authority said that it was investigating allegations that she'd violated the board's code of ethics. Upon learning of the incident from the Tenafly Police Department, the Port Authoritys inspector general launched an investigation, OToole said. The second officer looks on, a look of bemused bafflement on his face. TENAFLY, N.J. -- A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioner who abruptly resigned last week was caught on camera cursing at two police officers during a traffic stop. I let my emotions get the better of me and regret my tone toward the police officersand use of off-color language. An appointee of New York Gov. Caren Turner was born on 4 July, 1957 in American, is a Democratic lobbyist and former commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. (Image source: Video screenshot). The man who inadvertently found himself in the midst of a now viral rant against police by a recently resigned Port Authority commissioner late last month tells News 4 he tried his best to stay out of it because "my only job was to tow the car." "I'm here as a concerned citizen and friend of the mayor and been in Tenafly for 20 years.". "You may take them," says the officer, gesturing to the vehicle's driver and passengers. "Badge number 540. TENAFLY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has resigned after video surfaced of her conduct at a police stop involving her daughter in New. Her daughters registration would expire on March 31. 2023 Blaze Media LLC. She was at the department for approximately one hour.". Unfazed, the officer offers his own badge number and even his first name. On the afternoon of March 31, Turner, who chaired the boards ethics committee, intervened in a traffic stop involving her daughter. Herewith, our Zapruder-style, frame-by-dashcam-frame analysis of how things went so wrong, so fast. It says she spoketo the officers in "an insulting and condescending manner; using foul and aggressive language" and invoked her status as a commissioner. ", When the first officer tells Turner that she "may" now escort the group away, she responds, "You may not tell me when to take my child. He has a regular Port ID, which he said sufficed. "You may not tell me when to take my child," said Turner. But it is a credit to the Tenafly Police Department that she did not succeed.. Turner soon begins demanding to know why the driver was stopped. The Port Authority was wise to confirm POLITICOs story about Turners resignation, said Stephen Sigmund, the agencys former communications director. Yet the Port Authority board was so impressed with the police departments performance and tone, that on Thursday it passed a resolution praising the department for its officers demeanor. Ms. Turner, like Mr. OToole, was appointed to the board by the previous governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, a Republican. Caren Z. Turner, a now-ex-Commissioner for the Port Authority inserted herself into a routine traffic stop involving her daughter, and in the process behaved so obnoxiously towards Tenafly police . A spokesman for Turner declined further comment on Thursday. Turner now threatens to speak not just to the chief of police, but to the mayor of Tenafly, Peter Rustin, as well. The censure was a swift and harsh rebuke of Ms. Turner, who interceded in a March 31 traffic stop in Tenafly, N.J. Video released by the police captured Ms. Turner, 60, flashing her Port Authority badge and swearing at officers who had stopped and impounded a car her daughter was riding in. "It is the definition of it. Port Authority is a common agency between the two states. Turner becomes more agitated, insisting, "I need to know" why the stop occurred. Moment Eleven: 'It's not they. "They remained polite, focused and professional.". There is an elevated level of authority associated with these badges, Gopal said. In which she was trying to rank over police officers who pull over a car in which her daughter was a passenger. The tense exchange continues for several minutes. Moment Thirteen: 'You may shut the f--- up.'. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Turner shows them something -- later identified in a police report as a Port Authority gold badge -- and says, "I am the commissioner of the Port Authority, and I am heading up over 4,000 police officers, OK?". "I have seen situations like this before," he said. TENAFLY, N.J. -- A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioner who abruptly resigned last week was caught on camera cursing at two police officers during a traffic stop. Turner apologized to the police officers for her wrongdoing and repent of her harsh words and tone. It was only after the Inspector Generals office sought an interview with Turner that she resigned. "No, no, no. Turner demands that she should be told what the "problem" is. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Moment One: 'Alright, you guys are all set. What are you talking about?" Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. 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