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Drivers: Officers profiling specific cars for searches
By Jodie Fleischer
WSB-TV Atlanta
ATLANTA — A Channel 2 Action News investigation has uncovered a new kind of profiling that could leave you sitting on the side of the road while officers search your car.
Four families, an attorney, and even an officer told investigative reporter Jodie Fleischer that officers are violating drivers' rights based on the type of cars they drive.
"It was bumper-to-bumper traffic. Blue lights pulled up behind me. We pulled over. First thing I thought was, they have the wrong person," Shenita Hampton said.
She and her husband were driving in Gwinnett County when they were pulled over by DeKalb County police officers, including a K-9 unit. Hampton says she was made to wait outside in the rain for more than 30 minutes.
"They searched the vehicle. They didn't find anything. They damaged the birthday cake that was in the car," Hampton said. "Never apologized, it just was a nightmare."
She says the K-9 left several scratches and dog hair all over her car. An officer wrote her a ticket for 'driving too fast for conditions' but a judge dismissed the case.
Hampton contacted Channel 2 after watching a similar news story earlier this year. Robert Brinson had recorded his DeKalb police traffic stop, after the officer started asking about drugs.
"Is this normal procedure for someone to get pulled over for a traffic ticket and ya'll detain them?" Brinson asked on the video.
"We didn't detain you. We asked you about drugs. We are just going off of these clues and everything else," the officer replied. The officer never said what those clues were.
Brinson was late for a work appointment and admits he was speeding when the officer stopped him on Interstate 20 near Panola Road. It took just eight minutes to write Brinson's ticket, but then he was made to wait on the side of the road for an hour for a K-9 to arrive to search for drugs.
"And I asked him, is this normal procedure to search people for drugs once you pull them over for speeding? He was like 'If you don't have anything why can't we search?'" Brinson said.
"I was actually kind of shocked that so many people was going through this," said driver Fred Williamson.
Gwinnett police stopped Williamson to measure his window tint as he and his wife were driving to pick up a prescription. He had left his wallet at home, but recited his personal information to the officer from memory. Then, he says the officer asked if he could search for drugs.
"Most people would say, if you don't have anything why not go ahead and let them search it? Because that's my right to refuse them," said Williamson, adding that the officer began searching him, his wife and his car anyway.
"I'm still constantly telling him I do not give you consent to search my car and that's when he pulled his Taser out and he pointed it at me. He told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back, and he walked over and placed me in handcuffs," Williamson said, "After he didn't find anything, that's when he came back and he took the handcuffs off of me."
In all three of the above cases, police found nothing during the search. All of the drivers filed police department complaints. All were driving Dodge Chargers.
Full Article and video report here: WSB-TV Atlanta
By Jodie Fleischer
WSB-TV Atlanta
ATLANTA — A Channel 2 Action News investigation has uncovered a new kind of profiling that could leave you sitting on the side of the road while officers search your car.
Four families, an attorney, and even an officer told investigative reporter Jodie Fleischer that officers are violating drivers' rights based on the type of cars they drive.
"It was bumper-to-bumper traffic. Blue lights pulled up behind me. We pulled over. First thing I thought was, they have the wrong person," Shenita Hampton said.
She and her husband were driving in Gwinnett County when they were pulled over by DeKalb County police officers, including a K-9 unit. Hampton says she was made to wait outside in the rain for more than 30 minutes.
"They searched the vehicle. They didn't find anything. They damaged the birthday cake that was in the car," Hampton said. "Never apologized, it just was a nightmare."
She says the K-9 left several scratches and dog hair all over her car. An officer wrote her a ticket for 'driving too fast for conditions' but a judge dismissed the case.
Hampton contacted Channel 2 after watching a similar news story earlier this year. Robert Brinson had recorded his DeKalb police traffic stop, after the officer started asking about drugs.
"Is this normal procedure for someone to get pulled over for a traffic ticket and ya'll detain them?" Brinson asked on the video.
"We didn't detain you. We asked you about drugs. We are just going off of these clues and everything else," the officer replied. The officer never said what those clues were.
Brinson was late for a work appointment and admits he was speeding when the officer stopped him on Interstate 20 near Panola Road. It took just eight minutes to write Brinson's ticket, but then he was made to wait on the side of the road for an hour for a K-9 to arrive to search for drugs.
"And I asked him, is this normal procedure to search people for drugs once you pull them over for speeding? He was like 'If you don't have anything why can't we search?'" Brinson said.
"I was actually kind of shocked that so many people was going through this," said driver Fred Williamson.
Gwinnett police stopped Williamson to measure his window tint as he and his wife were driving to pick up a prescription. He had left his wallet at home, but recited his personal information to the officer from memory. Then, he says the officer asked if he could search for drugs.
"Most people would say, if you don't have anything why not go ahead and let them search it? Because that's my right to refuse them," said Williamson, adding that the officer began searching him, his wife and his car anyway.
"I'm still constantly telling him I do not give you consent to search my car and that's when he pulled his Taser out and he pointed it at me. He told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back, and he walked over and placed me in handcuffs," Williamson said, "After he didn't find anything, that's when he came back and he took the handcuffs off of me."
In all three of the above cases, police found nothing during the search. All of the drivers filed police department complaints. All were driving Dodge Chargers.
Full Article and video report here: WSB-TV Atlanta
