A Rochester police investigator has been suspended with pay after he was seen on video handcuffing an EMT that he disagreed with over a scuffed car door.
The incident happened July 11 at Strong Memorial Hospital’s emergency department. The officer reportedly parked his police car in an ambulance bay, where an ambulance pulled in alongside it. The EMT dinged the officer’s car door when she opened the ambulance door to get her patient out. The investigator ended up briefly handcuffing her when she insisted on seeing to her patient before giving him her information.
Chief David Smith first placed the investigator on desk duty pending an internal investigation. The department announced Monday that he had been placed on suspension.
The Rochester Police Locust Club issued a statement saying the move is “without reasoning, and gives the appearance that the investigator’s actions have already been judged.”