This comes from the People's Republic of New Jersey. It involves Caren Turner. This Democrat and Hillary fundraiser has just resigned her post as a commissioner on the New York-New Jersey Port Authority due to an arrogant and overly emotional run-in with police. 

The story goes like this. Last month Turner's daughter was a passenger in a car stopped by police in Tenafly for tinted windows (illegal in the Garden State) and an obstructed license plate. The officers then determined that the car's registration was expired, and the driver had no proof of insurance. Following procedure, no arrests were made, but the officers issued summonses to the driver, and the car was to be impounded until the proper paperwork could be provided.

At that juncture, Ms. Turner's daughter apparently made a cell phone call, and mom showed up. Initially the cops thought she came to give a lift to the car's occupants. But no, the commissioner had more on her mind. Reportedly, she began by stating she was there “as a concerned citizen and a friend of the mayor.”  From there, things went downhill. Not content to let the process take its course, Turner harangued the two officers, dropped an F-bomb on them, continually belittled them, and repeatedly flashed her Port Authority badge in their faces as much as to say “do you know who I am?”

Unfortunately for Ms. Turner, her loutish behavior was captured on the police cruiser's dashcam in exceptional quality. 

The officers reported the incident to their chief who, with the cam-recording in hand, made a call to the Port Authority's Inspector General. This began an internal investigation which led to Turner's resignation which Phil Murphy, NJ's new Democrat governor, said was appropriate given Turner's “outrageous conduct.”

In what passes for her apology, among other things, Turner said, "I encourage the Tenafly Police Department to review best practices with respect to tone and deescalation, so that incidents like this do not recur." That's a bit strange, for any reasonable person watching the video would be hard pressed to find anything objectionable with the tone of the officers. Unlike Turner, they were polite, composed, and professional.

Turner is a lobbyist who runs her own firm, Turner Government & Public Affairs. She commutes from her home in Tenafly to the Swamp. Turner was appointed to the Port Authority last year by Gov. Chris Christie at the behest of Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (Democrat-37 District) who said she wanted more women on the board of the Port Authority. It seems feminist solidarity trumps quality. 

As to the role of Turner at the Port Authority. She was head of the Government & Ethics committee.

Image credit: WalknBoston via Flickr // Creative Commons SA 2.0