Monroe County Board of Ethics finds Sandra Doorley violated public trust in traffic stop

The Monroe County Board of Ethics has determined that District Attorney Sandra Doorley attempted to use her position to receive special privileges during an April 22 traffic stop.

But its report released Thursday regarding the incident said it also determined that while “disturbing,” her actions did not create a conflict with the public interest.

The report comes on the heels of a similar one from the county's Office of Public Integrity. They both stem from the April traffic stop, in which Doorley refused to pull over for Webster police Officer Chris Crisafulli and proceeded to berate him after leading him to her home.

During that incident, Doorley repeatedly told the officer that she is the DA, advised him to write her a ticket because she’s the one who prosecutes them, and called Webster Chief Dennis Kohlmeier three times.

The report is largely toothless, a fact it recognizes. But it makes several recommendations on next steps. Among them: publicly releasing the ethics training that Doorley voluntarily undertook and appointing a special district attorney to investigate any possible criminal offenses.

In a phone call, a spokesperson for Doorley’s office said she plans to comply with all recommendations in the report. When asked for details on the ethics training, the spokesperson offered no comment. Doorley also declined to comment directly.

The report lauds Doorley for her handling the incident upon the video's release.

“Doorley has gone to great lengths to express, both verbally and in writing, her deep regret for her actions,” the report reads. “She has stated that she assumes full responsibility and blame for them.”

Doorley has given differing accounts on why she called Kohlmeier. A day before the Webster Police Department released Crisafulli's bodyworn camera footage , which was obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request, Doorley had released a statement saying she called Kohlmeier to tell him she "was not a threat.” The report offers a different accounting of those calls.

The report said the first call, placed as Crisafulli flashed his sirens upon spotting Doorley driving 55 mph in a 35-mph zone on Phillips Road, lasted 18 seconds. Kohlmeier said during that call, Doorley told him to “tell your officer to stop f---ing following me.”

The second call took place two minutes later in Doorley’s driveway, during which she handed the phone to Crisafulli, who explained that Doorley had refused to pull over.

The third — 17 minutes later — largely involved Doorley being upset that Crisafulli did not recognize her black SUV as a county vehicle, Kohlmeier told the board.

Despite the video making international headlines, Doorley has been reluctant to speak to the press. She has denied all requests for comment from WXXI and other local media outlets, aside from performing one interview with WHEC’s Jennifer Lewke.

The report also recognizes the statement she released on the incident the day before the video’s release was “antiseptic” and misleading to the reality of the situation.

In late April, Gov. Kathy Hochul called on the nascent state Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct to investigate the incident. The ethics board report advised Doorley to comply with that investigation.

The commission does not release information regarding ongoing reviews and findings will only be revealed upon a determination of wrongdoing.