Newburgh police are demanding action after City Councilman Omari Shakur was allegedly caught on video verbally abusing a detective and threatening to run over a police officer.
As News 12 has reported, the profanity-filled confrontation was caught on police body cameras. Newburgh police say Shakur was pulled over for a traffic violation on Tuesday.
The video appears to show Shakur using obscene language and hand gestures, and threatening to run over another uniformed police officer.
News 12 reached out to Councilman Shakur for comment but has not yet not heard back.
Newburgh's police officers union issued a statement calling the actions by an elected official toward police officers "immoral, unethical and divisive behavior that can never be tolerated."
Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey said in a statement, "My public statement about a City Councilman's interaction with our City Police officers a few days ago is under investigation... Our legal department has advised us not to comment until findings of the outside investigation has concluded."
In a statement, Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said, "Elected officials are held to a higher standard and are supposed to conduct themselves as such. The police video from the City of Newburgh is very disturbing. Police officers don’t work for one man or one woman, they work for the people. Law enforcement is a dangerous profession as it is and officials need to set the example by showing them respect and support.”