Sheriff Defends Stopping Black Man For Walking With Hands In His Pockets
A black Michigan man posted a video on Facebook of his encounter with a police officer in which the cop tells him he stopped him because his hands were in his pockets and that looked suspicious. The local Sheriff is defending the incident and said the entire story wasn’t told.
[su_center_ad]Brandon McKean began videotaping the encounter while the officer pulls out his cellphone to tape him as well.
The officer tells McKean that he got a call about his “suspicious” behavior.
“You were walking by … well you were making people nervous,” the officer tells McKean. “They said you had your hands in your pockets.”
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the story which has gotten a lot of attention.
On Facebook the sheriff states:
…Shocking that the internet does not tell the full picture or people use this for an agenda-right? So, here is the whole story.
The video that was posted was an edited version of the whole situation and cut out the Deputy fully explaining as to why 911 was called on him, and ended with this person agreeing that the police should respond. The 911 call received by the Oakland County Dispatch Center originated from a nearby business that had been a victim , as well as its employees, of seven robberies. The caller and his employees were concerned about the individual who had walked by the front window of the business five or six times, while looking inside with his hands in his pockets. Fearing for their safety, the business dialed 911 and the Deputy responded.
In the unedited version of the event, the individual stated that if he had called the police on a suspicious person, he would expect the police to respond, check the area, and talk to the suspicious person being called about. The Deputy did not detain or pat down the individual and considering the nature of the call responded in a very restrained and professional manner.
We will continue to take each and every call seriously at the Sheriff’s Office and hold our Deputies to the highest standards and expectations of public service.
According to what McKean told The Huffington Post, that reported “suspicious” person spotted by the business owner definitely wasn’t him.
The encounter:
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Image: Huffpo
mea_mark December 2nd, 2014 at 7:25 pm
Seven robberies? No security cameras? You would think by now they would have cameras up and know who is robbing them.
MIAtheistGal December 2nd, 2014 at 7:42 pm
Or invest in a security guard if things are that bad.
edmeyer_able December 2nd, 2014 at 7:27 pm
Well how else can you play pocket pool?
Denise December 2nd, 2014 at 8:10 pm
what is suspicious about walking down the street with your hands in your pocket? I see men of all races walking like that.
M D Reese December 2nd, 2014 at 8:42 pm
It would be funnier than hell if it was actually 6 DIFFERENT
Hirightnow December 2nd, 2014 at 8:51 pm
” considering the nature of the call responded in a very restrained and professional manner.”
So,he didn’t shoot him a dozen times,I guess?
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" December 2nd, 2014 at 9:26 pm
Could have just capped him in the knee for the fun of it…
(SNARK)
whatthe46 December 2nd, 2014 at 10:25 pm
you would have found a reason to say he had it coming though.
whatthe46 December 2nd, 2014 at 9:00 pm
this chief is full of caca.
Pistol-Packing AKA "Susie" December 2nd, 2014 at 9:26 pm
Damned if you do, Damned if you don’t…
Your all screaming CACA here, and yet, if the police did not respond and something transpired, you would all be screaming why didn’t they do anything… smh…
arc99 December 2nd, 2014 at 9:50 pm
yes when a citizen calls 911, the police must investigate. I have family who have worked in law enforcement, so I understand that basic principle.
my problem is with the classification of some people as “suspicious”.
if we are going to profile black males as “suspicious” and call 911 because people who look like me happen to be walking down the street window shopping, then why is it unreasonable for me as a black man to assume that all white people are Klan sympathizers until they demonstrate otherwise to my satisfaction?
whatthe46 December 2nd, 2014 at 10:00 pm
if there’s a report that a white male of average height and looks, wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase is raping women in the downtown area, how many of those white males fitting that description do you think the police will stop for questioning in that area? NADA DAMN ONE!!!!!
whatthe46 December 2nd, 2014 at 10:19 pm
and you’re only right about the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” which only applies if you’re a black male. can’t walk in the street unarmed, can’t walk down the sidewalk with hands in or out of pocket, while unarmed, without being harrassed. PERIOD!!!!!
Kick Frenzy December 2nd, 2014 at 11:20 pm
It was good that the police responded.
Mr. McKean agreed to that point.
He disagreed with the people who called, because he says he only walked by a couple times, not several.
He was unsettled by being stopped because of all the tension right now.
But all in all, this isn’t an incident about police that warrants any attention.
At least not negative attention.
They were both polite and the officer was just doing his job without taking it any further than needed.
neworleans878 December 2nd, 2014 at 9:54 pm
So now we can add no pocket apparel along with hoodies (Geraldo Rivera) to the list of clothing that blacks shouldn’t wear. Got it.
Tommy6860 December 2nd, 2014 at 10:01 pm
Yet these folks can walk down the street without their hands in their pockets, but hands fully armed. The difference? they’re white and not automatically under suspicion.
whatthe46 December 2nd, 2014 at 10:16 pm
if this guy were to have done that, it woudn’t be the one cop showing up, it would be the SWAT and the fk’n national guard.
greenfloyd December 2nd, 2014 at 11:15 pm
Obviously many people are paying more attention to the police. Mr. McKean’s video now has well over 700,000 views and 1,600 comments. Many of the comments I read reflect a high level of racial tension. Is it warranted in this particular case? I don’t think so and neither does McKean, according to his and now the officer’s recordings of this uneventful encounter.
There are enough real problems without anyone creating more, or worse encouraging racial tension or even worse making stuff up.
BTW, is that a picture of Brandon McKean under the headline above? TIA.
fancypants December 3rd, 2014 at 1:13 am
this is one where I think the officer might have been looking for a robbery suspect ( mentioned in video ) unfortunately he stopped a guy who appears to not like cops because of what’s going on across the nation,
Dadler December 3rd, 2014 at 3:32 pm
I thought the same thing at first pass, but then played it again, and…nope, all he says is “We have a lot of robberies,” which, if you think about it, doesn’t really make it better. At all.
rg9rts December 3rd, 2014 at 1:30 am
Past behavior by the PD’s across the nation add validity to the original …glad to see that the PD wasn’t that ignorant
allison1050 December 3rd, 2014 at 12:41 pm
rrriiiiight
Bunya December 3rd, 2014 at 2:19 pm
Well, yeah! Being stopped for walking while black in Michigan (especially in predominantly white areas such as Richland and New Buffalo) is as prominent as being pulled over for driving while black.
AnnSanity December 4th, 2014 at 8:26 am
Okay, so let me get this straight. It is against the law for Black Americans to walk past an establishment four or five times without entering? We are banned from being indecisive about where or if we shop? I am asking because I have, on many occasions, made multiple passes by a shoe store trying to talk myself OUT of making a purchase. But now, knowing that as a Black Woman, although I may not have my hands in my pocket, I am carrying a large bag, and for all I know this place may have been robbed in the past, so there may be some scared WHITE folks inside…I guess the only thing left for BLACK PEOPLE to do is stop shopping at the large malls and in these small strip centers. Now there’s a thought.