Anthony Yates
An Assistant Attorney General was arrested on Thursday night for reportedly trespassing outside a restaurant. She told the arresting officer to turn his bodycam off, which he refused.
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According to a report by 10 WJAR, officers arrested Special Assistant Attorney General Deven Hogan Flanagan and her friend, Veronica Hannan. The outlet explains that Newport police arrived after a call for an “unwanted party.” The incident reportedly occurred outside the Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf.
10 WJAR posted bodycam footage of the interaction to YouTube.
The moment officers arrive, Hogan Flanagan immediately tells the officer to turn off his bodycam. “I want you to turn your bodycam off. Protocol is that you turn it off. It’s a citizen request that you turn it off.” The officer ignores the request and says, “So they want you guys to leave? Let’s just leave. Let’s just make it easy, okay?”
As the women are talking, the officer wearing the bodycam walks over to a nearby restaurant worker and asks, “Do you want them trespassed?” The worker responds, “Anything we can do. Trespass, yes.” It remains unclear what happened to prompt the trespass call.
The officer returns to the women and says, “So you’re trespassing, we gotta leave now unless you wanna be in handcuffs.” Hogan Flanagan argues “We’re not trespassing. You haven’t notified us that we’re trespassing.” An argument ensues, but the officer shuts down the conversation, saying, “I don’t want to deal with this. Let’s go.”
The Situation Escalated Between The Officer And The Assistant Attorney General
Hogan Flanagan repeatedly tried to tell the officer that it was protocol that he turn off his bodycam. Hannan then interrupted, saying, “She’s a ******* lawyer, so she knows.” The officer responds, “Well, that’s ******** lawyer stuff, so that’s not true.” Hogan Flanagan then proclaims she’s an “AG.” The officer replies, “Good for you. I don’t give a ****, let’s go.”
Another row breaks out, and the bodycam officer handcuffs the AG. Hogan Flanagan keeps repeating her title as he sits her down in the back of the patrol car. “You’re going to regret this,” she snarls as he closes the door. The officers then turn their attention to Hannan, who resists being put in handcuffs.
They ultimately put her in the back of another patrol car, and an officer exclaims, “You were overreacting. You didn’t have to have this happen.” She then starts screaming, refusing to let officers close the door. “You’re a grown adult acting like a kid,” one says before pushing the door shut.
The news outlet reportedly spoke with Todd McGhee, a law enforcement expert. He allegedly pointed out that no policy says officers must turn their bodycams off.
