New Jersey Woman Charged After Dashcam Contradicts Her Charge That Officer Pulled Gun On Her At Traffic Stop

We often discuss the transformative role of video technology on the prosecution of police abuse, particularly the ubiquitous presence of cellphones with video capability. However, this is not a one way street. The technology also clears some officers rather than implicates them in crimes. One such case is the controversy at a traffic stop in New Jersey after Hyacinth Peccoo, 50, of Irvington, accused Officer Daniel Caffrey of yelling and pulling a gun on her. A dash cam video not only showed that Caffrey not only did not do so but actually appeared to cut her a break on a violation.

Peccoo was pulled over for failure to stop at a stop sign. She later filed a complaint against Caffrey and said that he yelled at her, pulled his gun, and pointed it at her. She supplied a written statement and gave an account to an investigator. The investigator, Detective Lt. Michael Fairweather, however, already knew about the dashcam videotape when he interviewed Peccoo, making it something of a set up. After the interview, Fairweather told Peccoo about the videotape. He said that not only what she had just told him was a lie but that Caffrey could be heard giving Peccoo a break by not issuing her an $85 ticket for failure to stop at a stop sign as it carries two points. Rather gave her a $26 ticket for failure to change her address on her license.

She is now charged with making a false report to law enforcement authorities, a disorderly persons offense. The written complain is enough for such a charge, though the oral interview can also be part of the charged conduct even though it appears to be a set up. I would be more troubled by the interview if she had not already filed the complaint and the interview was the sole basis for the violation.

What do you think?

Source: NJ