PAULSBORO, NJ — A Paulsboro, New Jersey councilman, Theodore Holloway, is facing mounting criticism after body camera footage showed him berating a police officer during a traffic stop in which he ran a stop sign and was ticketed for driving an unregistered vehicle.
In the footage, Holloway can be heard yelling at the officer and invoking his position as an elected official. “You actually pulled over an elected official. You’re not pulling over a random. You’re pulling over your boss. I am literally your boss,” he said. Holloway also called the police chief from his car during the stop.
New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association President Peter Andreyev condemned the councilman’s behavior in a strongly worded statement, calling for his immediate resignation. “It is simply stunning to see the tremendous double standard at play in this situation,” Andreyev said. “Time and again we see snippets of body camera footage used to denigrate and humiliate members of law enforcement… yet, when we see a public official threaten and harass an officer for simply doing his job, there are seemingly no consequences.”
Andreyev also questioned Holloway’s integrity, stating, “If he can so casually threaten an officer for simply doing his job, then it is a fair question to wonder where else he is flaunting his power and position.”
Holloway, who received a ticket during the stop, has not responded to the incident yet.