Only in Key West, and more specifically, only in Key West during an election, does a routine traffic stop become a social media spectacle.
So let’s cut through the comments and conjecture to what actually happened when commissioner Sam Kaufman, who is running against incumbent mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, was pulled over for speeding on Northside Drive just before 10 a.m. on April 9.
Some Henriquez supporters contacted the Keys Weekly the night of April 10, claiming Kaufman was traveling more than double the 20-mph speed limit, an offense that could have resulted in a reckless driving ticket and four points against a driver’s license.
The claims suggested that Kaufman, who is campaigning for transparency in city government and against favoritism, used his position as a commissioner to persuade the police officer not to ticket him.
But footage from the officer’s dashboard camera, which the Keys Weekly requested and received from the Key West Police Department, tells a different story.
In the video, which lasts less than three minutes, the officer’s patrol car is stopped behind Publix on Northside Drive. Multiple cars and a scooter pass in both directions. Then Kaufman’s Kia Telluride passes, going what looks to be slightly faster than the prior vehicles, prompting the officer to pull onto Northside Drive and activate his lights behind Kaufman’s car, which pulls over immediately near Regal Cinema.
The officer can be heard calling Kaufman’s license plate number into dispatch before approaching the driver’s side window. He speaks to Kaufman for 24 seconds, according to the counter on the dash cam footage, then returns to his car without Kaufman’s license or registration. The two cars pull away. Click the link at the end of the story for the dashcam video.
Kaufman acknowledged the traffic stop in a Facebook post Monday afternoon, writing, “Last Thursday, I was pulled over for speeding, and I shouldn’t have been driving so fast. I take full responsibility and will be more careful. Like anyone, I’m human, but that doesn’t excuse it. I respect our law enforcement and appreciate what they do for our community. I’m focused on continuing to show up and do the work for Key West.”
Kaufman, who’s an attorney, further told the Keys Weekly, “I don’t even know if he recognized me as a city commissioner, but I did not and would never try to use my position to get out of a ticket.
“I thought he may have recognized me from a case in which I represented two young women in a stalking case. And the officer had been very helpful to my clients in that case. But I don’t know if he recognized me at all. He told me to slow down. We shook hands. He didn’t ask for my license and registration,” said Kaufman. “I apologized, and that was it. I honestly didn’t look at my speedometer, so I don’t know how fast I was going, and I wouldn’t take any issue with how fast he said I was going. He’s a good officer.”
Key West police spokeswoman Alyson Crean told the Keys Weekly that Officer Mike Brablc will receive a reprimand for not activating his body-worn camera during the stop.
“I feel badly that he’s getting a reprimand. That’s terrible,” Kaufman told the Keys Weekly. “He’s a really good officer. And I feel badly that the chief is also likely getting pressure with this.”
Click the link to see the dashcam video: Kaufman dashcam video.mp4.
