Video: White officer detains black firefighter and sons
theGRIO REPORT - An Oakland firefighter is claiming he and his young sons were racially profiled when they were stopped by a white police officer at a firehouse, but the Oakland Police Department says the officer followed procedure.
After a white Oakland police officer detained a black firefighter, the firefighter is claiming he and his young sons were racially profiled, but the Oakland Police Department says the officer followed procedure.
The department released footage of the August 15 stop that was filmed by a camera on the cop’s uniform.
The video is dark, but the unnamed officer can be heard telling off-duty firefighter Keith Jones and his sons, aged nine and twelve, to stop and put their hands up.
Jones calmly explains that he is a firefighter, and that they entered after he noticed a door was left open. As they talk, one of his sons can be heard crying.
“I’m pretty much thinking, he’s gonna shoot me,” Jones told CBS.
The officer asks for identification, Jones gives it to him, and the ordeal ends with the officer apologizing.
“If we were white, I truly believe he would not have approached my kids that way,” said Jones.
Jones filed a formal complaint with police internal affairs before the video was released.
However, Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent said in a statement, “The video footage allows the community to see the events as they occurred. The officers clearly acted within policy. We continue to be committed to transparency.”
Watch footage of the stop above and let us know what you think in the comments.
Do you think the the fact that the officer was wearing a camera played a role in the outcome?
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.
