AUBURN – Some drivers honked in short, sharp bursts. Others lay on their horns and let the sound carry along Court Street.

In front of City Hall on Wednesday, hundreds of motorists drove past a row of police officers protesting what they deem unfair treatment following the arrest of the mayor last summer.

In plainclothes, more than a dozen officers lined the sidewalk along Court Street. They held signs and chanted in frigid temperatures.

Gusts of wind wreaked havoc with the paper signs, but the officers got their message across to afternoon commuters.

“The mayor’s arrest was justified,” shouted Officer Norm Letourneau, one of the officers disciplined over the drunk driving arrest of Mayor Norm Guay.

A man in a truck drove past, honked his horn and gave the officers the thumbs up.

Nine police officers were recently disciplined for their roles in the arrest of Guay in August. The charges against the mayor were later dropped when his blood-alcohol level proved to be below the legal limit.

The officers’ punishment ranged from a demotion to harsh letters from the chief. The discipline was doled out just before city officials made public a 76-page investigative report detailing circumstances about the arrest.

The officers involved say the report clearly showed that police followed procedure when they took Guay into custody. They accused City Manager Pat Finnigan of keeping the report to herself while earlier releasing a five-page opinion about the findings.

“It concerns us that Pat had her version and it wasn’t necessarily correct,” said police Detective Chad Syphers, president of the police union. “We want the public to know we didn’t target the mayor. To get their trust, we need to get this information out.”

To emphasize their points, the officers held up signs with various messages. One of them referred to a Sun Journal editorial published Feb. 1. “Sun Journal: Report clears city cops,” it said on the sign, reflecting the editorial’s headline.

The editorial maintained that the report, prepared by a team of Portland lawyers, vindicated the police in their handling of the Guay arrest. Yet Syphers was temporarily ordered back to patrol for contacting the press the night of the arrest. Eight others were subject to lesser punishment.

“I was disciplined for exercising my First Amendment. The other guys, they didn’t even get talked to. They just got letters in their boxes,” Syphers said. “It reeks of retribution.”

The officers stood out on Court Street for nearly an hour before marching to the main entrance to City Hall. A few pedestrians stopped to ask questions.

One man wished the officers luck before hurrying along. Passing motorists continued to honk their support while some drivers stared straight ahead and ignored the protest.

At City Hall, neither Guay nor Finnigan came out to speak to the officers, although the city manager was seen watching the activity from a third floor window.

The night Guay was arrested, police and the city were involved in tumultuous contract negotiations. Those negotiations are ongoing.

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