Surfside Mayor Criticizes Officer for Insensitive Interaction With Gisele Bündchen over Paparazzi Concerns

The mayor of Surfside, Florida has criticized a local policeman for his conduct during an encounter with supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Charles Burkett sent a letter to interim Police Chief Henry Doce describing the interaction between Bundchen and the officer as “wholly unacceptable” due to its lack of sensitivity towards the frazzled star, who expressed fears over being followed by paparazzi during their conversation on Wednesday. The model was pulled over for a traffic violation when she contacted police about her safety concerns but received little help from the officer in question, with Burkett stating that “this response is wholly unacceptable and not reflective of the values, judgment and service residents expect from their police”. He went further by drawing parallels between this incident and a meeting he had recently held with Tammy Campbell – boss of Surfside’s police union who previously attacked local politicians for requesting more patrols in the area. Burkett claimed that both incidents demonstrated “a dismissive posture towards residents” which was not what they expected from their officers, adding: “Our police department’s paramount job is to keep our residents safe!” Police Chief Doce admitted that he would have preferred a greater display of empathy during the initial contact with Bundchen and acknowledged that his officer should have handled the situation differently. It remains unclear whether or not Bundchen has filed an official complaint against the police department in question.