Weiser Police investigating video of officer, young woman interaction
WEISER, Idaho (KBOI) — Weiser Police is investigating a video that was as published online this week of an interaction between an officer and young woman.
The video shows an officer during an Aug. 30 traffic stop asking 19-year-old Jacqueline Aldrich about her identification following a report of a disturbance at a local motel.
Local attorney Shane Darrington, who represented Aldrich in the video, told KBOI 2News that he discovered the officer's behavior and comments during a routine request for all available audio and video evidence.
"It is outrageous and egregious," Darrington said. "The last statement was frightening."
At the end of the video, the officer is heard talking about the interaction.
"Mouthy little (expletive) oh my (expletive) God," the officer says. "If I can get away with it I would have put a bullet in the center of each one of their heads."
A second person in the room heard laughing.
Darrington, who told KBOI 2News that the video was edited for time constraints, says his client was originally charged with drug paraphernalia, but the charges were later dropped.
"Frankly, it was scary," Darrington said. "Somebody in a position of power saying something like that, even if it's an off the cuff comment, it's something that should not have been said."
According to online court records, the charges were dropped Oct. 27.
The attorney says he posted the video online because it's not isolated conduct for the unidentified officer.
"I wanted the community to know this conduct was happening," he said. "And I wanted to know ...does the community condone it?"
Aldrich says she felt disrespected in the way the officer was talking to her.
"I felt it was unprofessional for a cop to act like that," she told KBOI 2News.
"He belittled her and made her seem like she was dumb and couldn't comprehend anything. It made me mad, that's my sister you know?" said Aldrich's sister.
She didn't know about the last remarks made in the video until her attorney showed her.
"I was scared, that's why I left Weiser - he has the power to do that," Aldrich said.
Aldrich has had previous run-ins with the Weiser Police in the past, including an arrest for minor in possession and misdemeanor battery on two police officers.
When asked if her prior history could've influenced the encounter in the video, she said yes.
"Yeah, how they know my past, they think they can just treat me like that, you know?"
Some residents of Weiser say the video is now the talk of the town.
"I was angry because I think our kids and our community need to be able to go to the cops with anything that's going on, but with that, whose going to go to them?" said Teresa Persher.
The Weiser Police Department issued a statement Tuesday afternoon on Facebook.
"We are aware of the situation with the YouTube video concerning the adult female. The matter is currently under review. We cannot make any further comments at the present time, as it is a personnel matter."
Then, after a slew of "obscene and vulgar posts," the Weiser Police Department disabled their Facebook page temporarily, according to their receptionist. They say it will go back up at some point.
This story is developing.
**Warning: The video contains graphic language.**
