For four hours yesterday, Alexandra Espinosa-Amaya, 24, stood outside the Orlando Police Department with a homemade sign, apologizing for hitting an officer. “I battered a police officer. I was wrong. I apologize,” she drew on a blue poster board decorated with flowers, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
This is her punishment for pushing Sgt. Andrew Brennan on Nov. 29, 2008, while he worked off-duty. “It’s humiliating and it doesn’t teach my anything,” Espinosa-Amaya said outside the courtroom and before she headed to the police station. “But if Officer Brennan is happy and feels a little better, I’ll do it.” Espinosa-Amaya, a student, also must complete two years’ probation, write an apology letter, perform 50 hours of community service and attend an anger-management class. “The officer that was battered asked for this disposition because he wanted to bring awareness to the fact that officers from this agency and others are battered on a regular basis, often causing severe injury and/or medical retirements,” said a police spokeswoman.