He saw the
writing on the wall after the video took off:
On Thursday, Recine — who had retired from the Franklin police force in 2006 and was working part time here as a special police officer — submitted his resignation.
"I don't want to give a black eye to law enforcement," Recine, 59, said Thursday in an exclusive interview with MyCentralJersey.com. "People are saying some really nasty stuff about cops. I don't want all officers painted with the same brush."
He said he was just frustrated with the situation and made a mistake:
But on Thursday, Recine, a registered Democrat who serves on the elected Board of Fire Commissioners of District 2 in Piscataway, said he was being "sarcastic."
"It was just a stupid statement on my part. He got me riled and I said it," he explained. "I don't believe that at all. I'm the most patriotic person in the world. I believe in God, the flag, country, the Constitution."