Weiner said he sees why the Walkers were wary. "This is obviously not good police practice, to be pulling people over for traffic violations when you're not in uniform." "You understand that that's the police behind you, and you need to act in a certain way," Daniels said. "The police see (things) through certain eyes that citizens don't recognize."īut Daniels said requiring only marked units and uniformed officers to make traffic stops is good for everyone's safety, police included. "You need to look at this from a police perspective," said Gary Daniels, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. "This isn't a clear violation one way or another," he said. He said police might have been reacting to reported criminal activity in the area that would have brought the Walkers under suspicion. "A lot of times, officers are gathering information as they go."Ĭolumbus lawyer John Marshall, who specializes in civil-rights litigation, said that facts not yet made clear might eventually reveal more about the stop. "That's not a traffic stop at that point," he said. "There are times where it is appropriate for an unmarked car to stop and question and detain individuals."īy referencing their suspicion that the car could be stolen, officers apparently thought something more serious was afoot than a routine traffic infraction, Weiner said. ![]() "Right now, it's too early to say whether protocol was followed or not," he said. Rich Weiner, a division spokesman, said internal affairs will identify the officers and speak to both sides. Personnel operating an unmarked division vehicle who observe a traffic violation and deem a traffic stop is warranted shall contact communications bureau personnel and request a marked vehicle make the stop." The run was logged as a 10-57, which is the police code for "backup requested." But no marked cars ever showed up, the Walkers said.ĭivision directives state: "Only uniformed officers working marked units shall make traffic stops. Joseph Schrader of the SRB's investigation section declined to comment, citing the internal-affairs probe. The primary police vehicle is listed as 380, which is assigned to the division's Strategic Response Bureau, a unit that often operates undercover while gathering intelligence, investigating gangs and handling other special operations. Records reveal little, but the stop was reported to the police radio room at 1:44 a.m. ![]() "I called everywhere because I was upset," she said. Julia Birtha, 71, who lives with them at the Oak Street house, said her grandson was so shaken by the encounter that she dialed 911. Though the improper use of high beams can result in a citation, there was no traffic at that hour, the younger Walker said, and he's sure he didn't have his brights on anyway.Īfter several minutes, the officers let the Walkers go without a citation. "Why would you do all that just if I had my high beams on?" ![]() They were told they had been stopped because the high beams were on, an indicator, police said, that the car might have been stolen by hotwiring it. The officers also searched the center console and glove box of the car without their consent, he said. Both were frisked, and the younger Walker said police pulled his gym shorts down around his ankles in what he suspected was a search for a gun or drugs. Other than their shouts, the only indication that the men were law-enforcement officers was a "POLICE" ball cap worn by one of them.įather and son were ordered out of the car at gunpoint. The vehicles caught up to them and stayed "right on my bumper," the younger Walker said. ![]() Don't stop until we get home.īecause the events that unfolded on Oak Street that morning are under investigation by the Columbus Police Division's internal-affairs bureau, police say it would be premature to discuss what might have happened. "He said, 'Dad, they're busting U-turns like they're coming to get us,'" Mr. His son watched the vehicles in his mirror. "I was like, 'I don't know.' We didn't know who the hell these people were." The Walkers were momentarily blinded by flashlights aimed into their car. The side doors of a van slid open as they passed. Walker.Īs the younger Walker drove a red Kia Spectra registered in his name through the Olde Towne East neighborhood on the Near East Side, father and son noticed two vans and a Crown Victoria parked on the north side of Oak Street at Wilson Avenue. Walker had just finished his shift Downtown as a custodian at the Riffe Center and had been picked up by his 18-year-old son, Allen R. At that hour, on that stretch of Oak Street, Allen Walker figured he and his son were about to be carjacked.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |