She dropped the F-bomb. She belittled police officers. And she flashed her Port Authority commissioner's badge.

A police dashcam video of a seemingly routine traffic stop in the Bergen County community of Tenafly generated outrage this week by the actions of Caren Z. Turner, who harangued police who had pulled over a car carrying her daughter.

Turner's tirade against the patrol officers included profanity, insults and the repeated reference of her position as a Port Authority commissioner, all captured in a video. In the end, however, all she accomplished was her forced resignation from the Port Authority and no small amount of public shaming.

A short Q. and A. on what happened:

Q. Who is Caren Z. Turner?

A. Turner is a lobbyist who shuttled between Washington and her home in Tenafly. She holds a law degree from Georgetown University and has been a lobbyist for much of her career. She ran Turner Government & Public Affairs, her own public affairs firm based in Washington.

Q. How did she become a commissioner on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey?

A. While a Democrat who raised money for Hillary Clinton, Turner was appointed to the Port Authority last year by former Gov. Chris Christie, as part of a pair of appointments that included former GOP state Sen. Kevin O'Toole. Turner was the pick of Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-37), who was pushing for more women on the board.

Q. Why did the Tenafly police stop the car that led to her confrontation with two officers?

A. A Toyota Corolla with Nevada plates was traveling north on Route 9W in Tenafly when two patrol officers decided to pull it over because it had front side tinted windows--not uncommon in Las Vegas, but a definite no-no in New Jersey. The car also had a license plate frame that partly covered the name of Nevada--a seemingly trivial issue, but one that can lead to a ticket in New Jersey. Once they pulled the car over, the officers learned that the car had an expired registration and the driver did not have an insurance card. Turner's daughter was a passenger in the rear seat.

Q. Was anyone in the car arrested as a result of the motor vehicle stop?

A. No. The officers only issued three summonses for the tinted windows, the obscured license plate, and expired registration. But the car was impounded until the owner, reportedly the mother of one of the other passengers, could provide proper paperwork for the vehicle.

Q. Was Turner charged with any wrongdoing?

A. No. While the video shows her haranguing police over the traffic stop, dropping the names of elected officials she knew, and her position as a Port Authority commissioner who oversees 4,000 police officers, the Tenafly police did not charge her with obstruction. But the chief of police made a call to the Port Authority's Inspector General, which led to an internal investigation and ultimately her resignation.

Q. Is the Port Authority taking any further action?

A. Apparently not. A spokesman said the Port Authority board was preparing to form a special committee to review the findings of the Inspector General investigation and take action at this week's board meeting, before Turner submitted her resignation to Gov. Phil Murphy. "Commissioner Turner's resignation was appropriate given her outrageous conduct," said the Port Authority spokesman. There has been no indication that anyone else might pursue misconduct charges against her for allegedly misusing her public office.

Q. And what do Port Authority commissioners do?

A. The Port Authority is a bi-state agency which has oversight over the region's airports, Hudson River bridges and tunnels, its ports, and other transportation facilities, including the PATH rail line. Commissioners, who are nominated by governors in New York and New Jersey to six-year appointments, do not get paid.

Q. What did she do there?

A. She was head of the Government and Ethics committee and sat on the Port Authority's Operations committee, said a Port Authority spokesman.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

