Baltimore County police will not discipline the officer who received an autograph from Ravens running back Ray Rice during a traffic stop in Owings Mills on Monday, a department spokesman said.
Lt. Robert McCullough said investigators confirmed that the officer got the signature after he had verbally warned Rice that the tint on his white Range Rover's windshield was darker than the law allows. Maryland law prohibits car windows from being tinted at more than 35 percent, a limitation enacted primarily as a safety measure to ensure police officers can see inside vehicles.
Rice had posted a statement on Twitter that indicated he got out of a ticket in exchange for the autograph. He quickly deleted the post and later told reporters that it had been poorly worded and that it was he who offered his signature after getting the warning.
The tweet read: "Just got pulled over for my tints smh [shaking my head] But gave the officer a autograph for his son and he let me go."
McCullough said on Wednesday that "we determined that the officer didn't give Mr. Rice special treatment. He treated Mr. Rice no differently than he would have treated any other motorist."
The spokesman said it is unusual for an officer to accept a gift from a citizen on a call but he said the officer, whom he did not identify, did not break any rules and faces no disciplinary action.
"It is unusual, but this was not a quid pro quo. Mr. Rice offered his autograph for the officer's son."