A cop in Rochester, New York is now finding himself in a fair bit of hot water with his chief after allowing some women, who just minutes before were rejected from entering a club, to twerk on his patrol car.
Said twerking went down this past weekend, and was uploaded onto Twitter showing the women shaking their asses as a pair of officers looked on. While the 15-second clip above makes it obvious that nobody who was there that night really cared, the same can't be said about Rochester police chief Michael Ciminelli.
Ciminelli released a statement that castigated the officer who consented on behalf of his car. "We, as leaders of the Department, hold the Rochester Police Department, its uniform and its symbols in the highest regard. We expect all our officers to do the same. Our professionalism, both on- and off-duty are a reflection of all police officers," Ciminelli said, according to The Daily Mail.
"Although the RPD personnel did not intend for this to occur, the result was an inappropriate and unacceptable image for the Rochester Police Department. This matter has already been addressed accordingly. I don't think it was targeted or out of disrespect, they just thought it was going to be funny if we do this. None of us found it funny."
Still, according to the guy who taped the video, Ciminelli should chill. "The women asked the cops if they could dance by their car," Chris Barber told local news affiliate 13WHAM. "The RPD officers were being respectful to the females who made a request."
Barber further went on to say the women were turned away from the nearby Pearl nightclub just a few moments earlier because one of them was donning sweatpants. In response they asked the cops if they could twerk on their car, with one of the cops saying it was cool by telling them he was "going to turn [his] back real quick."
Afterward it was learned that the cops just thought the girls were going to take selfies while standing in front of the car, and that they didn't have time to react after the girl in the vid climbed onto the hood. Whether or not this was just their defense after the fact is unclear.
Furthermore, local police union rep Ralph Gagliano offered up a defense of his officers. "We're constantly being told it's important to interact with the public. It was appropriate how he reacted to the situation," said Gagliano. "His intention was to allow these girls to take a photo in front of the car. They decided to carry on and bring attention to themselves."
Hey, seems like by-the-book police work to us.
