An off-duty Minnesota police officer began crying after a fellow cop approached her.
Chaunte Lee Ford had just rammed into a parked car near a bar in Minneapolis and reeked of alcohol, according to a statement of probable cause – and she was struggling to keep her balance.
Ford told the officer with the Minneapolis Police Department that she was in law enforcement herself, in nearby St. Louis Park, and that she was sorry for what she’d done, according to court records.
But after another officer arrived, Ford became belligerent, making obscene gestures and cursing at the officers as she continued to cry, the probable cause statement says.
“I (expletive) up!” Ford yelled several times.
Then came the police officer’s anti-police remarks.
“(expletive) the police! I (expletive) hate cops and I hate that I’m a cop,” Ford said, according to court records. “All you guys do is harass black people!”
At one point, court records say, the 27-year-old pulled her pants down, squatted and peed.
Later, after saying she wouldn’t submit to a sobriety test, she laid down on her back, sobbed and yelled.
One of the officers rolled Ford onto her stomach, pinned her down and handcuffed her.
Breath test results showed her blood alcohol content was at 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit.
Ford, who has been with the St. Louis Park Police Department for six years, is now facing five misdemeanor charges, including DWI, careless driving and obstructing the legal process.
Jacqueline Larson, spokeswoman for the city of St. Louis Park, just southwest of Minneapolis, called the charges troubling.
“We are determining the appropriate time to begin an internal review,” Larson said in a statement. “The St. Louis Park Police Department and the City of St. Louis Park expect the highest standard of conduct from our employees.”
Ford has been on administrative leave since her Aug. 5 arrest, Larson said. She was a community service officer for 2 1/2 years and has been a police officer for 3 1/2 years.
Ford’s arrest and her anti-police statements come at a time when simmering tension between police officers and the African American community has boiled over. The 2014 killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., prompted a nationwide debate about the use of deadly force by police, particularly against African Americans.
In Falcon Heights, Minn., just miles from St. Louis Park, a police officer fatally shot 32-year-old Philando Castile during a traffic stop. Castile’s girlfriend live streamed the aftermath on Facebook. Shortly after, five police officers were killed during what was supposed to be a peaceful rally in Dallas.
Most recently, in Milwaukee, the fatal police shooting of a black man resulted in two nights of violence as angry protesters clashed with police. The unrest left several businesses in flames. Police said 23-year-old Sylville Smith and another suspect fled from a car after they were pulled over; police said Smith eventually turned to the officer with a gun before he was shot.
The Washington Post found that 990 people were fatally shot by police officers in 2015. That number is nearly 600 so far this year, according to The Post’s database.
Ford, who’s scheduled for an Aug. 30 arraignment, posted a $12,000 bond a few days after her arrest. She did not return a call from The Washington Post. It’s unclear if she has an attorney.
Although there has been an incident involving a black female police officer expressing anger about police shootings, it’s unusual for an officer to lash out at his or her own profession.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association declined to comment when asked about whether the incident involving Ford is an outlier. A union representative for the St. Louis Park Police Department did not return a call from The Post.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Kristine Guerra
