Prosecutor Sandra Doorley violated county code of conduct during traffic stop, Office of Public Integrity says

Monroe County Prosecutor Sandra Doorley violated several county codes of conduct during a traffic stop in April, a report from the county’s Office of Public Integrity determined.

The report, released Monday, found that Doorley acted in a manner that constituted an “attempt to obtain undue privileges or exemptions for herself.”

Doorley was pulled over for speeding, refused to stop and instead drove a mile to her house where she berated the officer.

“As the county’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer, Prosecutor Doorley’s refusal to comply with a lawful order and her determination to make her own decision to go home rather than arrest places considerable stress on any law enforcement officer,” the report said. “This type of behavior could encourage the public to take similar liberties, thereby endangering other law enforcement officers.”

The OPI report also found that Doorley violated the county’s vehicle use policy by driving more than 20 mph over the speed limit in his county-issued SUV, refusing to stop his vehicle and acting indefensively toward Webster Police Officer Chris Crisafulli.

Crisafulli clocked Doorley driving at 55 mph in a 35 mph zone at 6 p.m. on April 22.

In Crisafulli’s body camera footage, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, Doorley appears belligerent. Doorley enters her home against the officer’s orders, calls Webster Police Chief Dennis Kohlmeier and repeatedly suggests she will use her position as district attorney to avoid accountability.

“I’m the Monroe County District Attorney,” she said in the video. “… I don’t care. You know what, if you give me a traffic ticket, that’s okay. I’m the one prosecuting it, okay? Go ahead, do it. Go ahead. Go ahead.”

The report also notes that Crisafulli did not smell alcohol on Doorley’s breath and did not believe she was intoxicated.

A day before the video was released, Doorley issued a public statement acknowledging the speeding ticket but contradicting what happened.

“I believe I am responsible for my actions and have no intention of using my position to gain an advantage,” Doorley wrote. “No one, including your District Attorney, is above the law, including traffic laws.”

The body camera footage garnered international media attention, prompting Doorley to grant an interview to WHEC. In that interview, Doorley claimed she called Kohlmeier to inform him of the situation and that she did not pose a threat.

The OPI report opposes this logic.

“Even if that was his intention, or if his words gave the impression that that was his intention, that was not his obligation at that moment as a New York State motorist,” the report reads. “His legal obligation is to pull over, not to attempt to explain his own decisions.”

The report’s findings are to be forwarded to the Monroe County Ethics Board, which can issue advisory opinions but otherwise has little authority. OPI also recommended that the county comply with a separate investigation by the State Prosecuting Conduct Commission. The status of that investigation is unknown because the commission’s deliberations are not public.

Doorley, through a spokesman, declined to comment Monday evening.