"What will you give me so I let you go?": The exploits of a traffic cop suspected of sexually harassing female drivers

Police Commissioner Dani Levy has fired a traffic officer who allegedly tried to develop romantic relationships with women during his work. The dismissal letter describes three different cases in which the officer used his authority to issue tickets to female drivers he signaled to pull over for traffic checks. The Department of Internal Police Investigations (Mahash) attributes to the officer suspicions of sexual harassment, abuse of power, and breach of trust.

According to one of the cases described, the officer ordered a driver to stop, claiming she had committed a traffic violation. He even told her that the condition of her vehicle could lead to an "expensive ticket." During the inspection, the officer asked the driver about her marital status, told her she was beautiful, and made it clear that he wanted to "meet her halfway" and release her without a ticket. At the same time, the officer asked the driver to think about how she could "meet him halfway." The driver gave the officer her phone number, but according to the dismissal letter, the officer replied that "it's not enough." It is further alleged that he asked to meet her alone and even said to her regarding her partner that "he doesn't need to know, it can stay between us." Eventually, the officer released the driver without a ticket. Later, the vehicle was checked at a garage and found to be in good condition.

In another case, the officer claimed to another driver that she had committed an offense requiring a fine and points. Allegedly, during the conversation, the officer asked the driver: "What will you give me so I let you go?" When the driver tried to understand if he was asking for money, the officer replied no and said: "If I tell you that I want you, you're single, right?" In this case, too, the driver was released without being issued a ticket.

"You looked at her with sexualized gazes."

The Commissioner's decision stated: "You demanded that she get out of the vehicle to see the condition of the tires, and when she clarified that she did not understand the field, you stood in front of her on the side of the road and looked at her with sexualized gazes. At the end of the incident, you did not issue her a ticket and told her that you were joking and that she shouldn't be offended."

The third case described in the dismissal letter relates to another driver whom the officer signaled to pull over as part of his activity. The officer checked her vehicle, and allegedly even verified that she was not recording him before continuing the conversation with her, and presented her with a series of serious consequences that could allegedly arise due to the condition of her vehicle.

The police viewed the accumulation of cases attributed to the officer with severity. Commissioner Levy noted that these are three different women who have no connection to each other, who complained about a similar pattern of attempting to establish personal and even romantic contact with them during enforcement actions. Levy determined that the actions attributed to the officer constitute an exploitation of his authority as a law enforcement officer for non-professional purposes, and fundamentally damage the values of the police and public trust, and therefore decided to fire him.