BARTOW, Fla. (WSVN) — A beloved pastor is speaking out after, he says, he experienced racial profiling during a traffic stop in Polk County.
Community members and leaders from the Saint James AME Church of Bartow in Polk County gathered on Thursday in support of Pastor Dontavious Sanders, who said the altercation has left him humiliated and hurt.
“We want to see true community policing,” said one man.
According to Bartow Police, Sanders was pulled over for a malfunctioning tag light shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.
“I can’t even put it into words how grateful I am that they’d come out and show their appreciation and support at this time,” said Sanders.
They add that his window tint was darker than what’s legally allowed. Police say Sanders did not respond to the officer at first and wouldn’t allow them to search his car.
“During that time, one of the K9s arrived, and we did a free air sniff, which is permissible under the Supreme Court,” said Bartow Police Department Chief Stephen Walker. “It alerted to the car, which gave them probable cause.”
Officers eventually searched the car but did not find anything. They attempted to print the citations, but there was a problem with the machine, so they gave Sanders a warning and released him.
According to Chief Stephen Walker, the traffic stop was legal, even though the officer, who had been on the street for only 31 days, was verbally aggressive with Sanders.
“A lot of these younger people aren’t great at talking to people, they’re used to texting everything. So it’s a learning curve to learn how to talk to people and communicate,” he said.
Due to this incident, the chief says he’s making his K-9 policy more stringent. Now, there must be more indicators before searching someone’s car.
“By all means, I apologize to you,” he said.
During the rally, Chief Walker issued a formal apology to Sanders, but Sanders says he is going to take action.
“The way I felt, the pain, the humiliation. It’s going to take more than words for me,” he said.
Supporters during the rally also asked the police department to adopt dash and body cameras for transparency.
Source:: News Miami – Fox News
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