Body cam video shows heated confrontation between Judicial candidate and police
By: Police body cam video of Great Bend attorney Donald Anderson, who's currently running for a district judge seat, shows a confrontation with police in May, when an officer went into his building because he saw an open door in the middle of the night.
The officer in the footage can be seen explaining that they suspected a burglary.
Immediately, Anderson becomes combative.
“No one invited you,” Anderson tells the officers. “Don’t ever walk in my building again.”
He even appeared to mock one of the officers, implying he has a mental handicap.
KAKE News caught up with Anderson at his home in Ellinwood, two days after the Great Bend chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police posted the video.
"There's nothing but embarrassment,” Anderson said. “There's nothing I can say to justify how ridiculous my behavior was. I can't even watch the video. It's just embarrassing."
In a statement released with the video, the local FOP chapter says the candidate's conduct is, “…unbecoming of a judicial candidate.. And that a judge must uphold the highest standards of respect and impartiality. Mr. Anderson's actions suggest he lacks these essential qualities."
However, Anderson is staying in the judicial race, and says he believes the release of this video is politically motivated.
"This is the one instance that they have to show to bring up my own fitness. Six, seven minutes of my life. I just hope that people do look into things.”
We asked Anderson if he really has a negative attitude toward law enforcement, as suggested in the video.
Anderson, who said that he was under the influence of alcohol during the encounter, says, although he occasionally butts heads with law enforcement as a defense attorney, he respects law enforcement, and adds he apologized to the officer days later.
"I was glad for the opportunity to apologize. I'm glad, I'm certainly happy that Officer Jones accepted my request to come speak with me. So and, you know, I was like, hey, look, you know, I apologize."