Last week, Officer Roberts in Satsuma was placed on administrative leave following a citizen’s complaint about an arrest. Yesterday, Satsuma police chief Clint Harrell reinstated Officer Roberts following an investigation.
The Arrest
The incident stemmed from a traffic stop involving Logan Carter. Officer Roberts pulled Carter over on her way to her parent’s house. The situation got heated. Carter claims Roberts cursed at her and got physical.
Roberts pulled Carter over for not stopping at a stop sign. He ultimately arrested her for disorderly conduct.
Carter accused Roberts of making a false arrest. The Satsuma Municipal Court Magistrate determined Roberts had probable cause in making the arrest. Thus, Satsuma reinstated Officer Roberts.
Prevention
The incident exposes the tension between police and civilians that has been simmering in this country for years but reached a boiling point after the death of George Floyd. Incidents like this are rare in Satsuma, where support for the police remains strong. However, the reactions on social media prove it doesn’t take much for that tension to flare up even in small-town America.
One thing was missing from this situation that could have prevented it from escalating: body cameras. If Officer Roberts was wearing a body cam, this would have been an open and shut case one way or the other. We wouldn’t have had to rely on he said, she said.
Body cameras are not just good for civilians; they are also beneficial to the police. They protect officers against false charges of harassment or misconduct. The body camera footage would have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt whether Officer Roberts was guilty or innocent..
Even though Satsuma cleared Officer Roberts of wrongdoing, we have to acknowledge that there are bad cops out there. As such, we have to have ways of monitoring and fixing the problem. Body cameras are a simple solution that protects everyone and has proven to improve relations between police and the citizens they protect.