Although his cover was blown in a video circulated last month, Oakland cop Fred Shavies says in this interview that he didn’t see his job as “infiltrating” the Occupy Oakland movement — at least not in a bad way.

He does criticize his fellow officers, though, in terms of their heavy-handed treatment of protesters in Occupy outposts around the country. “Ya’ll don’t need to throw gas canisters into a group of people occupying an intersection,” he tells interviewer Justin Warren in the clip posted below.

Shavies also says he supports the protesters’ cause, and that being a cop is just one aspect of who he is. “I identify with the 99 percent but also I have a job to do, right?” Right. And catching him in plainclothes mode was not a “gotcha” moment, in his estimation, but it makes for good viral material. –KA

Vimeo via Think Progress:

OPD Officer Discusses Viral Copwatch Video from Justin Warren on Vimeo.