Monterey Police Chief John Mackie addressing an officer’s unsafe driving after the incident resurfaced in a social media post this week.
The incident occurred in December of last year, when a Monterey police officer’s actions in a grocery store parking lot were captured. Mackie said he originally addressed the situation with the officer last year within hours of being notified of the infraction.
“Somehow it’s leaked out and the public has got a hold of it and I feel like they deserve to know that we hold everybody accountable for what their actions are here in Monterey,” Mackie said.
Mackie said he issued a verbal warning and restricted future vehicle upgrades for an officer after a video surfaced showing a patrol car drifting in a grocery store parking lot. Mackie did not name the officer.
“Well (he said) that this would never happen again, and that he apologized to me and said that he had just been stupid,” Mackie said.
Mackie said the officer, who works the night shift, made a phone call to the business owner to apologize for the behavior. Mackie said the business owner accepted the apology and the officer expressed that the incident would never happen again.
Mackie said the officer did not break any laws because the incident occurred on private property. Mackie said while he would have stopped a citizen for the same behavior, not every erratic action deserves a ticket.
“Everybody who does things erratically or just on purpose, playing around, being a kid, ‘Hey look, it’s dangerous, don’t do that,'” Mackie said.
Mackie said the reprimand included a verbal warning and a notification that the officer should not expect a newer patrol vehicle. Mackie said it is vital to maintain the cars because they are funded by taxpayers and serve as the officers’ primary workspace.
“These vehicles belongs to the taxpayers,” Mackie said. “We’ve got to take care of these because they are our offices as well. This is where we spend most of our time is in these cars. That’s our office. Take care of it and it’ll last you longer.”
Mackie said he considers the severity of the infraction to be minimal. Mackie said he chose to address the matter publicly to prevent rumors from spreading through the community.
“People don’t know all the truth and the details and they like to spread what they want to and not the truth,” Mackie said.
A native of Monterey, Mackie said he takes issues involving the department personally. Mackie said he believes the public deserves to know what the department is doing at all times, whether the news is good or bad. Through his efforts to enforce transparency and accountability, Mackie said he also leaves room for grace, for his officers and the town’s residents.
“I’m a citizen, I was born and raised here in Monterey,” Mackie said. “I’m going to treat this town like it’s my back door, my backyard.”
Mackie said the officer is still driving the same vehicle and no further incidents have occurred.
