A Delaware State Trooper and member of Gov. Jack Markell's (D) security detail is under investigation after a confrontation with a bicyclist in Washington, D.C. Tuesday.
In a video posted on YouTube, the unidentified trooper was idling a Delaware vehicle in a marked bicycle lane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=21&v=Bak1pGzIMKQ
When a cyclist in the lane called District authorities to report the vehicle, the trooper said, "Hey, let me explain something. Hey, pay attention," pulling back his suit jacket, pointing to his badge and also revealing a handgun.
"Don't play with me," said the trooper, telling the cyclist to "keep it moving".
A statement from Delaware State Police Sgt. Richard Bratz says the agency is aware of the video and, "We will be conducting an internal investigation to determine if there have been any violations of our policies."
DSP did not respond to emails asking to identify the trooper and did not answer questions as to whether the man was still on active duty or still part of Markell's security detail.
Markell is an avid cyclist and has invested tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money in building bicycling infrastructure statewide since first being elected in 2008.
A statement from press secretary Kelly Bachman says, "...the Governor knows keeping bike lanes clear is critical to the safety of everyone on the road. He understands the concerns being expressed regarding yesterday’s incident in D.C., in which a State Trooper assigned to protect the Governor idled his vehicle in a bike lane while waiting for him to exit an event."
"Law enforcement officers must sometimes block lanes of traffic in order to do their job effectively and the Delaware State Police will be looking at how the officer handled this situation," the statement continues.
At the time, Markell was speaking to a civic group regarding Delaware's use of Common Core and the Smarter Balanced Assessment to better prepare students for college.