Watch: State Trooper Realizes He Pulled Over Head of Louisiana State Police for Speeding on Basin Bridge

Bodycam footage of a state trooper pulling over the head of Louisiana state police is drawing sharp criticism from the public.

WAFB shared a video of a traffic stop that has raised a lot of eyebrows across the state. Louisiana state police spokesman Captain Nick Manale confirmed that a trooper pulled over Colonel Lamar Davis, head of LSP, around 11 a.m. on June 28.

Colonel Lamar Davis was driving an unmarked Louisiana State Police vehicle to a meeting in Lake Charles when an LSP trooper pulled him over on June 28 on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge along Interstate 10 near Ramah.

UPDATE:

Colonel Davis has responded to the backlash, apologizing for speeding, and acknowledging that he has also been pulled over at least one other time without being cited.

He told WBRZ's Chris Nakamoto that there is "no excuse" for what happened.

I was wrong. I admit that. I take full responsibility. I try to do too much in a day, I need to practice what I preach and don’t want to put anyone in a position to stop me or any other trooper. I was wrong. There’s no excuse. I don’t believe in excuses.

Davis also addressed the incident with WAFB's Scottie Hunter saying that he "needs to slow his butt down" and not try to do so much in one day as he was reportedly doing 90 mph in a 60 mph zone on his way to a meeting.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Bodycam footage of the stop was provided after WAFB requested the video through a public records request. In the very short clip, we can hear the trooper say "Well, I'll be" when he realizes the SUV he pulled over for speeding on the Atchafalaya basin bridge was his boss.

Manale said the trooper stopped his body cam from recording when he recognized his boss. The state police spokesman said Davis was headed to a meeting in Lake Charles but there were no notes about how fast he was going in the 60-mile-per-hour stretch of the interstate nor did he write him a ticket.

the responding trooper “utilized his discretion and did not issue a citation” to Davis.

WAFB says that dash cam footage with no audio was also provided.

The dash cam footage, which does not have audio, shows the trooper and Davis talking for a few seconds between their two vehicles before the two shake hands. Within 30 seconds of first exiting his vehicle, Davis steps back inside his vehicle and prepares to drive off.

Some Louisiana residents felt like this was an example of how law enforcement can "break the law and get away with it." Even those who back the blue were disappointed to see that the top officer in the state completely disregarded the rules because he knew he wouldn't be held accountable—a theory that seems to be backed up by the exchange seen on video.

Many others criticized the officers for their display of "do as I say, not as I do" behavior—especially on a stretch of the interstate that has been a hot topic due to a new law that will double fines for speeding come Aug 1.

Andrea Snearl commented that she "almost got ran over" by a Baton Rouge police officer claiming that officers speed around "all of the time." There was another commenter who claimed the officer was "doing at least 90 mph," but we can't confirm or deny that being that the officer didn't take notes and LSP only sent an edited video to clip to WAFB.

Someone even suggested that when the new speed camera law goes into effect on August 1 some may use this incident to defend their speeding on the basin bridge—an 18.2-mile stretch that authorities tell WAFB is "more dangerous than the regular interstate" due to excessive speeding.

There has already been a lot of negative feedback as motorists who have timed their drive across the bridge say the results have been "unsettling" given the small window for error that could amount to significant fines by the letter of the new law.

See the full story here.