‘Why does he still have a job?’: Gee and Ursula react to bodycam footage of Mercer Island cop
Apr 14, 2025, 3:30 PM | Updated: 3:35 pm
Close-up of a police officer's bodycam. (Photo: Laurent Coust, Getty Images)
(Photo: Laurent Coust, Getty Images)
Todd Roggenkamp, a police officer for the Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD), was demoted from sergeant to officer in early 2024 after displaying concerning behavior the year before. Now, due to recently uncovered bodycam footage obtained by FOX 13, his demotion is becoming clearer.
The situation stemmed from Roggenkamp, his wife, and a subordinate officer returning to a bar to retrieve a cell phone the wife forgot. He allegedly flashed his badge at the bar to gain special access to the closed bar, but when he was denied entry, he tried to challenge a bar patron and a bartender to a fight. His wife slapped the bar patron and kicked him in the groin.
Once they left, they were pulled over by police. In now-released body cam footage, Roggenkamp is seen arguing with deputies about the validity of the traffic stop and lying about his position, claiming he was a firefighter instead. He then admitted he was drunk after mixing up his words. According to MIPD, he drove his vehicle within an hour of being described as “very intoxicated” by deputies after his wife was arrested for assault. He drove to King County Jail and demanded for his wife to be released before jail staff contacted MIPD.
Should Roggenkamp still be employed by MIPD?
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“My question is, why does he still have a job?” Ursula Reutin, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show,” asked.
“Because he’s law enforcement, because police unions, because there are so many things that are put in place to protect awful cops,” Gee Scott, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show,” answered. “Am I surprised that this cop has a job still? No.”
Instead of a termination, Roggenkamp was granted a last-chance agreement that was entered in January 2024. The Criminal Justice Training Commission is still investigating this incident.
“Do you guys know what life was like before body cams? Do you know what some of these cops would do?” Gee asked. “I didn’t mean to get into a bad place with this topic, Ursula, but just think of the bad cops that have gotten away with stuff since slave patrol—the origins of police agencies. Imagine the families that have been messed up for generations because of that. It is just bothersome.”
Listen to the full conversation here:
Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.
