The mayor of Florida has accused the police officer who called in Gisele Bundchen in distress after she claimed she was being stalked by paparazzi.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said Wednesday’s interaction between the unidentified officer and Bündchen was “totally unacceptable” and that the officer displayed a “disregarding attitude” that residents should expect from police. He said that it does not reflect the current situation.
“Yesterday, I was disappointed to see a video of one of our residents having a conversation with one of our police officers,” Burkett wrote in the letter. Acquired by WPLG, to Surfside Interim Police Chief Henry Dawes.
“Watching the video, it becomes clear very early on that the residents are shaken and scared.” “The frightened resident told Surfside police officers that he believed a stalker was following him. He said he was scared.
Body camera footage showed officers ignoring the mother of two’s safety concerns and calling the Miami Beach Police Department.
“I’m just trying to get away from this guy,” Bundchen, 43, told police about the paparazzi suspect before he was pulled over.
“There’s nothing I can do about it,” the officer said, then told her to “file a report in Miami Beach.”
Police officers had let Bundchen get off the ground as a “courtesy” before she made her horrifying confession.
“I’m so tired,” Bundchen said emotionally. “Everywhere I go, these assholes follow me. Nothing protects me. I can’t do anything. I just want to live my life.”
When the officer told her, “You can’t stop them from doing their job of taking pictures,” she replied, “I don’t see how that can be allowed.”
The frustrated mayor reminded city officials what their primary mission was, but that was not depicted in the roadside exchange.
“This response is completely unacceptable and does not reflect the values, judgment and service that residents expect from their police officers,” Burkett wrote. “On the contrary, the most important job of the police is to keep residents safe!”
“This disregard for residents who are clearly suffering is everything we don’t want to see in the way police engage with and serve residents.”
The unidentified officer acknowledged recognizing Bündchen and said there was nothing he could have done to stop the paparazzi.
Burkett said his interaction with Bundchen reminded him of a meeting with Tammy Campbell, the town’s police union boss. Campbell said he encouraged police to attend a rally attacking local politicians who called for the department to “increase patrols and increase engagement with residents.”
“What I saw in that video and the actions of Surfside union bosses at recent meetings demonstrate that past command and staff leadership and union leadership have lost sight of their mission.” Burkett said. “We all look forward to refocusing the police department’s primary mission on serving our residents.”
Mr. Doucet acknowledged that the officer should have conducted the stop differently after seeing Bündchen in distress, but maintained that the officer was a good person.
“I wish they had more empathy when they first found out what was going on,” the police chief told Local 10 News.
“A lot of people I’ve talked to at Surfside say this officer is a great officer, he’s phenomenal.”
“Could I have done better? I think this is a learning opportunity to understand what the dynamics of that situation are.”
It is unclear whether Bundchen has filed a report with authorities.
surf side police Page Six reported that Bündchen stopped by. traffic violation.
