Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who grabbed a Capitol Police officer’s name tag in a profanity-laced tirade Thursday, apologized Friday for his conduct.

The congressman’s outburst was precipitated by the officer’s refusal to admit a Shays staffer and several of his constituents into a staff entrance, according to Capitol Hill sources.

“Yesterday while trying to locate a family of constituents caught on the West Front of the Capitol during a rain storm, I interacted with a Capitol Police officer in a way I know was not appropriate,” Shays said Friday. “Although my focus was in trying to locate my constituents and get them to a dry location, I know I clearly could have handled the situation with the officer in a more professional and respectful way, and I regret I did not do so.”

The incident is reminiscent of an episode in 2006 involving then-Rep. Cynthia McKinney, R-Ga., and a Capitol Police officer.

After being denied entry into the Capitol through the staff entrance, the Shays aide called her boss to intervene, according to accounts provided by sources.

The officer refused to talk to Shays, citing police rules against officers using telephones while manning their posts.

Shays arrived at the scene and delivered a tongue-lashing, including several instances of the “F-word,” to the officer before grabbing the name tag on the front of his uniform.

The officer met with several congressional officials Friday and declined to pursue the matter, according to one of the sources.

“The latest I have is that the officer decided not to go any further after receiving an apology from Shays,” one source said.

In a statement issued late Friday, Sgt. Kimberly A. Schneider, spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, said, “The officer chose to handle the matter by filing a courtesy complaint against the Member. After personally meeting with the officer, Chief of Police Phillip D. Morse, Sr. and Assistant Chief of Police Dan Nichols discussed the matter with Congressman Shays who acknowledged he acted inappropriately in the heat of the moment and took full responsibility for his actions. The Congressman stated his full support and admiration for the officers of the U.S. Capitol Police and offered his apologies.

“Chief Morse fully supports the officer involved in this matter and commends the officer for properly following policy and procedure during this encounter.”

Shays said, “When I return to Washington on Monday, I hope to have the opportunity to meet with the officer and apologize to him in person,”adding, “I take full responsibility for this incident and want to ensure it does not reflect negatively on the officer in any way.”

McKinney suffered public scorn in March 2006 after she reportedly hit a Capitol police officer in the chest when he tried to stop her at a security checkpoint in a House office building.

McKinney, who was not wearing the pin that identified her as a member of Congress, charged that she was being targeted because she is a black woman.

McKinney, who ultimately apologized, was defeated in a Democratic primary by current Rep. Hank Johnson.

Shays, who has demonstrated an anti-authoritarian streak in the past, won re-election with just 51 percent of the vote in 2006, surviving a Democratic electoral wave that wiped out every other House Republican from New England.

In 1985, Shays, then a state legislator, was jailed for contempt for several days when he tried to make a statement during a court hearing in Connecticut accusing a judge of going easy on an attorney charged with misconduct.

First posted July 20, 2007 4:33 p.m.