ST. LOUIS — Body camera video released Thursday showed a city alderman stepping out of his truck as vehicles zip by along Interstate 44 and an officer urging him to get back into the vehicle during a traffic stop last month.
Alderman Joe Vaccaro said Wednesday that police Chief John Hayden offered to void a ticket from the Feb. 10 traffic stop along Interstate 44 near Jefferson Avenue after Vaccaro accused the officer of not wearing a mask, coughing on him and having a rude demeanor.
Hayden denied Vaccaro’s assertion that he had offered to fix the ticket at a news conference Thursday. When questioned about it later, he noted he has discretion to dismiss tickets. As for the officer’s conduct, Hayden said the body camera video “speaks for itself.â€
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The video shows Vaccaro getting out of a black truck along the highway and the officer instructing him to get back inside while approaching the vehicle and coughing. The officer then tells Vaccaro he was driving 76 mph in a zone marked 60.
The officer asks for Vaccaro’s license, registration and insurance and repeatedly tells the alderman to stay in the truck. Vaccaro said at that point he was still looking for proof of his insurance.
The officer returns to his squad car, writes tickets for speeding and not having insurance and then returns to the truck. Vaccaro shows the officer proof of insurance on an app, and the officer advises him that he can get the insurance ticket thrown out by providing that proof in court, according to the video.
The officer was not wearing a face covering during the initial interaction, but a reflection in Vaccaro’s truck shows the officer wearing a mask when he returned to the vehicle.
Vaccaro said Wednesday his main concern was with COVID exposure as the officer was given a COVID test following the stop and initially tested positive. Days later, the alderman said the department informed him that the officer had tested negative.
Hayden declined to answer a question Thursday about the officer’s COVID status, but he highlighted how the officer initially had to get out of his car quickly because Vaccaro was standing along a busy highway. He said the officer wore a mask when he was in “close proximity†to the alderman when handing out the tickets.
Vaccaro, who chairs the city’s Public Safety Committee, said in an interview he had an issue with the city’s contact tracing protocols following the stop and planned to hold a meeting to discuss the department’s COVID protocols and how officers treat the public.
He also maintained that the officer had been rude because Vaccaro didn’t have time to retrieve his insurance card.
“I don’t think that’s fair,†Vaccaro said. “If you’re going to pull somebody over, you need to be at least kind somewhat and give them time.â€
The alderman paid the ticket. An internal affairs investigation continues, Hayden said.