By Jonathan Drew
Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. — A black lawmaker cited for failing to buckle his seat belt said Monday that the traffic stop fits a pattern of minorities treated with inordinate suspicion, while the North Carolina Troopers Association accused the legislator of bullying the patrolmen who stopped him.
Rep. Cecil Brockman told two white state troopers that he was angry and suggested that he wouldn’t have been cited if he were a white lawmaker, according to dashboard video of the Nov. 30 traffic stop. Charlotte television station WBTV aired the video Friday.
The president of the Troopers Association, Sgt. Danny Jenkins, accused Brockman of trying to use his position to bully troopers and avoid a citation. The association asked its supporters to demand Brockman’s resignation and posted his email address on Facebook.
“We just want to make sure that we stand up for our people. Our troopers are out here providing protection for citizens of this state,” Jenkins said in a phone interview. “It’s very frustrating to see an elected official who would abuse the public trust by trying to influence an officer against doing his job.”
Jenkins said state lawmakers occasionally receive citations from troopers for speeding, seat belt violations and even impaired driving, but he’s not aware of any others accusing the troopers of wrongdoing.
In an interview, Brockman questioned why troopers felt threatened enough to have three patrol cars respond to the traffic stop in Archdale.
“This is the same excuse that we hear from law enforcement every single time an innocent black male gets shot and killed,” said the 31-year-old Democrat who represents Guilford County. “The response by the law enforcement is they felt threatened.”
In the dashboard video, about a minute passes between when the trooper pulls into the road and Brockman’s black BMW stops on the side of the road. Sirens are heard as the patrol car follows Brockman for several blocks.
In an initial exchange, a trooper is heard asking why Brockman wasn’t wearing his seat belt, and Brockman identifies himself as a state representative. Two troopers walk back toward the squad car and discuss the difficulty in running Brockman’s special legislative license plate, so one goes back to get his VIN number.
A portion of the conversation is inaudible when the trooper returns to Brockman’s car. It’s then that Brockman said he asked why they were running his VIN number. He said he was told it’s because he could have stolen the car.
Later the two troopers are heard conferring. One says Brockman questioned why multiple troopers responded, and the other replies that Brockman wouldn’t stop, which represented a safety concern.
When two troopers approach Brockman to give him the citation, Brockman is heard saying he’s annoyed about being cited for a “simple mind lapse.”
“I think if I was a white representative, then you guys would have been like, ‘OK, I’m sorry, sir. Sorry about that,’” Brockman says.
A trooper replies that race has nothing to do with it. Highway Patrol spokeswoman Pam Walker has said the video shows troopers acted in a professional manner.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press