Wendell Cunningham worried about cars hitting children or elderly residents in his Southeast Washington neighborhood, so the D.C. police officer decided to hit the streets with a radar gun -- on his own time.
He ticketed away for nearly two years, and then one morning, his off-duty work led him straight back to the office -- in pursuit of a top commander.
That was April 19. Cunningham was writing traffic tickets along a busy stretch of Branch Avenue SE near his home in Hillcrest about 6:30 a.m. when he spotted a dark-blue car hurtling down the street. His radar gun showed it doing 46 mph in a 25-mph zone.
So he stepped into traffic and motioned for the driver to pull over. Instead of stopping, the Ford Crown Victoria swung into the other lane and passed; emergency lights began to flash from the car's grill, and a siren sounded.
Through the car's tinted windows, Cunningham recognized Assistant Chief Willie Dandridge, a department veteran who supervises patrol operations east of the Anacostia River.
Cunningham followed Dandridge to the nearby office, where Dandridge refused to turn over his identification. Cunningham reported the incident to internal affairs.
Four months later, the incident in the 2400 block of Branch Avenue SE has resulted in a 15-page internal report.
Internal affairs officials recommended that Dandridge be cited for conduct unbecoming an officer because he did not stop or turn over his identification. "Assistant Chief Dandridge conducted himself in a manner that would not be tolerated by any other member of this agency or any citizen driving by a radar checkpoint," the internal affairs report concluded.
Dandridge, 42, said in an interview that he regretted not stopping but felt it wasn't safe to do so. There was not enough room on Branch Avenue, and two cars were already on the side of the road, he said.
On the other hand, he said: "In hindsight, I know I should have stopped. . . . I am responsible for my actions."
He is the second top commander in recent months to be cited for conduct during a traffic incident. The D.C. Office of Police Complaints, an independent city agency, found last month that Assistant Chief Brian Jordan harassed a motorist and abused his authority in 2003, when he was accused of giving the motorist a traffic citation after a brief altercation. Jordan, who supervises patrol operations in the 1st and 5th districts, has denied any wrongdoing.
A decision about discipline for Jordan has not been made. What punishment Dandridge could face has not been revealed.
