After being subjected to Excessive use of force, Unlawful Detention and Civil Rights violations by The Wynne Police Department  I have decided to ensure others don’t receive the same treatment. I  never thought I would have been subjected to such behavior. These acts have caused more harm than explained for me. Shortly after the incident, I went into manic and became suicidal because I personally thought everything was lost. I had marks on my wrist from the handcuffs. My body ached and I didn’t sleep for days. I was reliving the incidents of discrimination experienced from work all over again. I used to ride around because I enjoyed listening to music and looking around while driving but been scared of retaliation from the police. The police went around telling people he tazed me to other law enforcement and community members. I requested for an investigation from the prosecutor, sheriff department, state police, Arkansas Attorney General Office, US Attorneys Office and Civil Rights Division of The US Department of Justice. I only received a response back from the United States Attorney Office Lead Attorney Jordan Cruz from. He stated he was looking into the matter. All the above was sent a complaint letter with copies of the police report, video of incident and all documents I sent to other agencies.

I request that you request they investigate the incidents. The report written by the officer was completely false and does not match the video from my home surveillance system. The initial call I placed to police was a simple request from law enforcement to remove by nephew from my yard which was causing a disturbance. I was tazed two times without cause. Once while in handcuffs and walking which caused me almost fall and made me jerk. Video shows everything. I was then taken to the police department and placed in a interview room for questioning. When denied questioning without an attorney I was charged with interfering with government operations. This incident rinks of misconduct and violations which needs grave attention.

As Law enforcement, they swore an oath to “support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” As federal law enforcement, I swore to the same. They have given me ample reason to doubt their willingness to fulfill that oath, most recently in their recent failures to investigate. However, in calling on you to enforce our nation’s federal civil rights statutes at such a critical moment, we join the rest of the country and the world in urging you to uphold your solemn obligation to do justice in this case, as well as in all other cases seeking to support, protect, and defend the Constitution.

The Investigative Entity Must Carefully and Expeditiously Review the Evidence to Determine Whether the Officers Involved Violated Federal Criminal Civil Rights Law and Additional Laws

On July 31, 2021, My newphew showed up to my residence and started arguing about me not giving him the keys to my father’s truck in which I have had physical control since the truck was purchased. I have conducted and paid all maintenance on vehicle. I asked to leave but he refused. I gave him ample warnings before calling law enforcement. I knew the truck issue was a civil matter and no complaints had been filed about it therefore the issue at hand was solved by simply removing my nephew.

I called Wynne Police at 870-238-5700. I gave my name, address and details of the incident. My nephew then goes in the truck and put my iPad in the street. Wynne Police arrived with four police officers. As they was pulling in front of yard, one of cops run over my iPad causing damage. I then retrieved it from the road. While retrieving the iPad a cop walks to me and tells me I’m moving around too much. I explained why I was walking out of my yard. Both me and the officer walks to the side of my home. We spoke briefly about the incident before other cops walk over.

They then spoke to my nephew. They then advised me to move my items from the truck. Eventhough I knew this was a civil issue and the officers didn’t have the authority to tell me to move items from a vehicle where I had prearrangements with my father. I complied anyway because I knew they wasn’t trained properly and it was a possibility this wasn’t gone end good for me. While removing my items an officer was standing by the drivers side-door speaking to me while I was removing items from the passenger side. I then heard one of the white cops ask me for the keys. I explained to him that I threw them to keep them from my nephew. They then threatened me of going to jail. I continued to clean out the truck. Talking to the African American officer standing by the drivers side door.

I noticed the other officers wa;king around my home searching for the keys. I told them I didn’t want no one in my yard not even my father. All this was said in a causal speaking level with no scream or loud talking. My father then arrives ar my residence and I told him I was just going to throw all my papers on the ground. I then heard one of the officers tell me to hurry up. So I immediately starting pulling papers and everything out the truck. All of a sudden I felt a electric shock in my back. Shorty before I heard a officer say he was gone taze me. I thought it was a joke because I wasn’t being resistant or being disorderly. The officer on the drivers side didn’t seem concerned or wasn’t reactive to any of my actions. Therefore I wasn’t a threat to anyone. Once I was tazed I turned around and ask the officer why he tazed me. He then started screaming stop resisting arrest. In fear of being shot I submitted to his arrest. Once I heard him start screaming I knew he was going to do something unusual and harmful to me. I could also hear my father telling him everything in the truck is mine and it’s no use for any of that.

As we are walking toward the police unit with me in handcuffs. I felt another taze to the back, at that point I felt in my mine that this officer was going to keep tazing me unless I hank my shoulder from him. Also when he tazed me I almost fell because of a piece of rising concrete on the ground. While walking I explained to them that I was too tall and big to go in the back of the car but they explained to me they was going to make me fit. Meaning in a aggressive way. I climbed in and forced my way to fit. I’m 6’7 and around 260 lbs. From patrolling in police vehicles myself, I knew I couldn’t fit because my agency had to purchase a SUV for me due my size. They then closed the police vehicle without patting me down. I was left in the vehicle, Never told I was under arrest or the reasons for being detained. No rights read or anything.

Shortly the police returned, opened the door and started searching my pockets highly aggressive. He didn’t say he was searching me incident to arrest or anything. He due damage my cigarettes and retrieved all items from pocket and placed them in the front seat of the police unit. I then noticed him searching through my wallet, looking at my retired federal LEO National Safety Act Badge. I told him I didn’t want him looking through my wallet because I have items in there that’s none of his concern. Nothing illegal I explained. I told them to put my items in the BBQ grill out front. Instead I noticed them go inside my residence without consent. I could hear one of the cops ask why I had a badge to my father. He replied back that I was a federal officer.

They then walked back to the police unit and drove off. While he was driving I got concerned with my well-being because of his aggressive driving behavior on the neighbor street. I moved around trying to adjust my cuffs to grab the seat belt. The officer then slams on his brakes and ask me what I was doing. I told him I wanted a seat belt on. He then said I was doing something in the back seat and he needed the other officers back. I noticed we was in a dark spot in the street so I just knew I was about to get an ass beating. Once the other cops arrived they all came to the passenger side. I asked them how long they been cops because it’s impossible to put a seatbelt on with all them on one side. One of officers walked to the drivers side and they secured my seat belt.

Once at the police department I was taken to the interview room. I was concerned because normally people are taken to the county jail. I could hear the officers laughing and joking about the incident. When the coo came into the room he started questioning me. I refused questioning and asked for an attorney, phone call, ambulance for the tazing and mental health. They refused everything but called ambulance.

Ambulance arrived and was put on the cart. I asked to speak to the paramedic alone. The police officers wouldn’t allow this long because they kept opening and closing the ambulance door. I advised the paramedics of my medical conditions and I felt like something had went wrong with me after their treatments and tazing. I also was wondering if I was manic because I was took to police department and I called the police. I felt like everything was a dream. I also asked him would it had been better if I would have used the stand your ground law on my nephew. But I remembered I was black.

The officer returned took off the cuffs and threw me a ticket for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and interfering with government operations. Once at the hospital I was took inside the room and I seen my parents. I left the hospital walking and my thoughts was to end everything that night. I just knew the backlash from the incident. All my neighbors seen me escorted to a cop car. My reputation was ruined. I thought that was the end of me running for state representative. While passing I spoke to and shook the paramedic hand and told him how I felt.
That same night I went back and retrieved the truck. I was advised by my father how the officers had called him and my mother to the hospital. It appeared even after all the trouble they was still trying to cause problems. The officer also was spreading that he tazed me to other officers and people I knew. He also approached my nephew and asked was I a Reed on O Street. I was also advised by another cop that he was laughing about tazing me.

We are aware that the DOJ should carefully and expeditiously review the evidence to be collected in the course of the their investigation and hopefully FBI’s investigation to determine whether the officers involved violated my rights under 18 U.S.C. § 242, which makes it unlawful for any person acting under the color of law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. Persons acting under the color of law include police officers and other law enforcement officials who are or appear to be functioning in their official capacities. I was not the subject of an investigation and the officers wasn’t given a warrant to go into my residence or my portable box trailer I haul behind my truck. But they went into both of them while I was in handcuffs in the back of the police truck. No consent was given to them or my father. Everything is on video and documented. They wasn’t aware of the camera system.
A federal civil rights investigation into this matter is warranted because this case potentially involves excessive use of force and other police misconduct in violation of my Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable seizure. 

DOJ Must Initiate a Pattern or Practice Investigation of Wynne Police Department

Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (previously codified at 42 U.S.C. § 14141), DOJ i authorized to investigate police departments for patterns or practices of systemic, unconstitutional policing. As detailed below, Wynne PD has a history of troubling incidents that suggest immediate DOJ intervention is necessary.

They currently have two pending Civil Rights Cases for excessive force or conducted unreasonable searches. The Police Department has reportedly had excessive force complaints filed against them previously and the department has a documented pattern of other violations in recent years. My other nephew, Kerri Reed, has been given charge after charge for my parents calling for assistance getting him help from his illness. They once took him down a busy highway and dropped him off while he was having an mental illness emergency. He was also put in a restraint chair while having an emergency. In the recent months they have been sending African Americans to prison with charges that should suggest other treatments like drug counseling. The police department also had two officers who was attempting to meet young underaged females. Instead of termination and prosecution they was released without incident.

The police department also railroaded a couple of young men and charged them with rape of a female. She was an adult, they was minors. They was sentenced to 10 years. She was actually having sex with them while they was underaged. She would give them money, drugs and alcohol for sex. They overlooked vital evidence in the case. Further, Wynne Police Department has frequently been the subject of complaints regarding illegal searches.

For these reasons, the Department of Justice must take action to ensure that the police department charged with protecting the residents of Wynne is not systematically violating their constitutional rights. It is clear that Wynne officers’ use of excessive force and unreasonable searches in the documented instances are not merely one-off incidents, but an indicator of systemic problems within the police department. As such, a DOJ pattern or practice investigation is merited and critical for ensuring the constitutional rights of Wynne residents are protected.

DOJ Must Restore its Commitment to Investigating and Addressing Systemic Policing Problems Nationally

Even as we request a federal investigation into my incident that resulted in my illegally placed charges, we remain concerned that this request will succumb to the decision- making process of an agency that has abdicated its responsibility for local police oversight and accountability. Despite the racially biased and unconstitutional practices repeatedly uncovered by previous pattern or practice investigations, the DOJ has, under the current administration, adopted a policy that significantly encumbers department attorneys attempting to pursue pattern or practice investigations or negotiate settlement agreements and consent decrees.22 DOJ leaders have declared that the agency intends to “avoid harmful federal intrusion in the daily work of local police,”23 and proclaimed a commitment to the interests of law enforcement to the detriment of the communities in which those officers serve.
DOJ must return to conducting true oversight and demanding accountability from state and local police departments. As we have said before, DOJ’s current policies and practices pertaining to local policing are an “attack on the core mission of the Department of Justice” and “a slap in the face to the dedicated career staff of the department who work tirelessly to enforce our nation’s civil rights laws. DOJ must use its statutory authority to conduct federal civil rights pattern or practice investigations, investigate and sue law enforcement agencies, and enter into federal agreements to ensure constitutional policing.

Additionally, DOJ must enforce federal civil rights laws, such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating based on race and national origin. And it should take proactive steps to advise police departments across the country that they can effectively promote public safety while respecting the constitutional rights of those in the communities they protect.

Conclusion

As we continue to witness law enforcement agencies exercise excessive use of force and undertake other troubling practices that systemically violate individuals’ civil rights in predominantly minority communities, DOJ must take swift and strong action to denounce these practices and hold to account the state and local departments that deploy them. This includes pursuing a federal civil rights investigation of my incident and opening a pattern or practice investigation into the string of deeply troublesome actions by the Wynne Police Department in the past decade. More broadly, we reiterate our call for DOJ to restore its commitment to addressing the systemic constitutional violations by police departments across the country.