By Matt Gray
nj.com
GLOUCESTER COUNTY, N.J. — A veteran borough councilman in Gloucester County berated a police officer, spewed profanities and called the officer’s boss during a routine traffic stop captured by police body cameras earlier this month.
Paulsboro Councilman Theodore D. Holloway II was stopped for allegedly running a stop sign shortly after 10 a.m. on Jan. 4 at Penn Line Road and West Adams Street in the borough, according to court records and body camera footage obtained by NJ Advance Media in response to an Open Public Records Act request.
“I’m the one that hired you!” Holloway yelled at the police officer after asking why he was stopped.
“You actually pulled over an elected official,” Holloway added before calling the police chief from his car. “You’re not pulling over a random. You’re pulling over your boss. I am literally your boss.”
When a supervising officer arrived at the scene to assist, Holloway said, “You know who I am, right?”
He was eventually issued a citation for driving an unregistered vehicle.
Holloway did not immediately return a call or emails seeking comment. He has served on the borough council since 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Paulsboro Mayor John Giovannitti said the entire borough governing body was briefed on the incident and discussions have been held with Holloway.
“We’ve spoken to him with our legal team and went over the issues that we had, and I just think it was an unfortunate incident that shouldn’t have happened,” the mayor said. “It’s never happened in the past and it can’t happen again.”
“It’s not the response that an elected official should share with our police,” the mayor added.
Giovannitti called Holloway a dedicated councilman who has served the borough for 12 years overall and has been supportive of the police.
Paulsboro Police Chief Gary Kille declined to comment, saying the incident is “an ongoing matter here.”
Police body camera footage shows the councilman was frustrated when the officer first approached his minivan after pulling him over near his home.
“You can’t be serious. What exactly are you getting behind me for?” Holloway asked.
The officer told him he ran a stop sign, a claim that Holloway denied. The officer asked for his license, which Holloway provided.
“Don’t think I ain’t going to talk to Gary about this,” Holloway said, referring to the police chief.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” the officer asked Holloway.
Holloway angrily told the officer that, as a councilman, he was responsible for the cop having a job.
“You know me. You act like I’m running around here mother——— gun toting, weed-smoking. I’m the one that hired you,” Holloway shouted.
As Holloway continued to argue and look for his car registration, the officer asked, “Why are you acting like this?”
Back in his patrol vehicle, the officer radioed a supervisor, telling him he had pulled over the councilman. “He’s freaking out. I don’t know what’s going on with him,” the officer told his supervisor.
When the supervisor arrived and approached Holloway in his vehicle, the councilman was on the phone with the Paulsboro police chief. Seeing the supervisor, Holloway asked, “You know who I am, right?”
“I know who you are, sir,” the supervisor replied.
Holloway then resumed his call, saying, “Anyway, chief, please talk with them.”
He went on to tell the chief that officers who stop elected officials should simply tell them what they did wrong then send them on their way.
The police chief’s response is unclear in the audio on the body camera video.
“You’re wasting your time, you’re wasting the taxpayer money that I pay you guys to do, for what?” Holloway told the police officers.
He was eventually issued a citation for “driving or parking unregistered motor vehicle.” The police officer told him he would not be ticketed for allegedly running the stop sign, according to the police body camera footage.
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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
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