Volunteer cop grounded for confronting man taping arrest

TOWSON, Md. - A Baltimore County police volunteer has been placed on desk duty indefinitely after he was caught on video reprimanding a man who was filming an arrest, reports CBS Baltimore.

The video of the confrontation ignited outrage throughout the community and sparked a months-long internal investigation by the police department.

CBS Baltimore reports the investigation has concluded and the auxiliary officer, Matthew Betz, will not be allowed to return to patrol.

The video of the confrontation between Betz and an unidentified male went viral in February.

The following exchange is heard in the video, according to the station:

Man: "Have I committed a crime sir?"

Officer Matthew Betz: "Do you want to go?"

Man: "I have done nothing here."

Betz: "Don't open your mouth."

Man: "I thought I had freedom of speech here."

Betz: "You don't. You've just lost it."

A spokesperson for the department says that when the police chief first saw the video, he thought Betz was wrong for telling the man he couldn't shoot video. He also didn't agree with how the auxiliary officer handled the situation. The investigation only confirmed his opinion, reports the station.

"His powers of arrest, and they're very limited powers of arrest that our volunteer members have, have been suspended and he will not return to patrol," the spokesperson, Elise Armacost, said.

"This was inappropriate and unnecessary language that was not reflective of our philosophy of respect towards citizens," Armacost said of Betz's actions.

Baltimore County Police also stressed how valuable the volunteer officers are to the department. The department has since taken a more thorough look at how they assign patrol officers and enhanced their training, reports the station.

Betz has been a volunteer with the department for 22 years. The department's volunteer division currently has 88 auxiliary officers.