A police sergeant in the US state of Oklahoma refused repeated requests from a captain in the same department to turn off the camera hanging on his uniform, and was eventually arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
Video footage, posted on social media, showed James Matthew French, 55, almost begging Sergeant Christopher Skinner to turn off the camera and talk to him privately, explaining to him that he is a “police captain.”
In the video, French posed a question to Skinner: “As an Oklahoma City police captain, I’m asking you – are you aware of the camera protocols on your suit and that it cannot be turned off?” To which Skinner answered in agreement.
Oklahoma City Police Capt. James Matthew French was pulled over for a DUI and repeatedly asked the officer to turn of his body camera.
— Skyleigh Heinen (@Sky_Lee_1) March 21, 2023
Good for Sgt. Christopher Skinner that didn’t comply, nobody is above the law.
pic.twitter.com/xL8IBnTCLo
Once again, Skinner replied to the repeated request, “I understand that, sir, and I am a sergeant in the same department, and I have taken an oath to enforce the law. I do not accept nepotism to favor anyone, and I do not care if you are a member of a gang, or if you are the President of the United States.”
When French asked to turn off the camera and then turn it back on after speaking with the sergeant privately, Skinner told him that he would do so after the interrogation was over.
After a police sergeant gave French a test, he was arrested for drink driving.
The Oklahoma Police Department has placed the captain on administrative leave while they conduct their investigations. At 1:30 am on March twelfth, Captain Skinner reported spotting a sports car change lanes without signaling, as CNN reported.
