Police in southern New York have launched an investigation after a video surfaced showing one of their patrol cars doing donuts in a snow-covered parking lot on Monday night, according to NBC New York.
In a statement sent to reporters, the Yonkers Police Department said that it “does not condone this type of unprofessional behavior,” adding that the officer in question has already been identified and will face disciplinary proceedings.
Twitter user @antbenitez_ recorded the video at a municipal parking lot next to the city’s Pelton Park early Tuesday morning, which was completely empty at the time. It shows the Ford Crown Victoria lazily spinning in a circle as its rear wheels make rooster tails of snow, completing one and a half rotations before the clip ends. His caption references the officer getting paid to screw around like this; fun as it looks, it’s definitely not the best use of taxpayer-funded time, even during the 2 a.m. doldrums.
We should point out that the average base salary for a Yonkers police officer is around $60,000, not including overtime. Whether or not this cop was making six figures, though, chances are he’ll think twice before indulging in a little screwball fun while on the clock again. We sympathize with the temptation to hoon one of the last rear-wheel-drive Crown Victorias still in service, but them’s the rules.
Of course, it’s hardly the first time a municipal employee has had a little extracurricular fun with a work vehicle. This clip of a U.S. Post Office mail carrier doing donuts with a Grumman LLV in a snowy cul-de-sac is always worth a watch.
