Wisconsin police insist officer WASN'T planting evidence after viral video showed him dropping plastic baggie into back seat of a pulled-over vehicle
A Wisconsin police department has insisted that one of their officers was not planting evidence after a viral video showed him dropping a plastic baggie on to the back seat of a car during a traffic stop.
Cell phone video shot by a passenger which went viral this weekend appeared to show the Caledonia Police officer - who has not been named - dropping the wrapper into the car after it was pulled over for going 63 mph in a 45 mph zone Wednesday.
In the video uploaded to social media, a male passenger is seen addressing the officer, saying 'What's that? What did you just throw in here? I got you on camera, bro.'
The officer responds: 'I got you on camera, we're all good.'
The passenger then pivots the camera to the backseat where the plastic bag can be seen, and says: 'Hey bro, you just threw that in here.'
Caledonia Police say they have launched an internal review, but released body camera footage which they say shows the officer was not planting evidence.
They say the baggie was found on a passenger who had already been taken out of the vehicle, and was dropped on to the seat because officers did not believe it contained drugs.
A Wisconsin police department is conducting an internal review, after a video went viral depicting an officer 'planting evidence' into the back seat of a pulled-over vehicle last week
On Saturday, Caledonia Police Chief Christopher Botsch responded to video of an officer allegedly tossing a plastic bag into the back seat of a car, after it was pulled over for going 63 mph in a 45 mph zone Wednesday
Botsch said the first video depicts officers searching one of the rear passengers outside the vehicle while an 'empty corner tear,' or corner of a plastic baggie, was found in the passenger's pocket.
On Saturday, Village of Caledonia Chief of Police Christopher Botsch responded to the video.
He said: 'Earlier today, the Caledonia Police Department was made aware of a cell phone video that is circulating social media platforms depicting the actions of a Caledonia police officer.'
'We were able to locate the call for service associated with the cell phone video. The Caledonia Police Department is conducting a comprehensive internal review of the incident,' he added.
The department released two police body-cam videos of the incident, each taken from separate officers at the scene.
Footage of the body-cam videos show interactions between police and two of the passengers, both of whom were black men.
Botsch said the first video depicts officers searching one of the rear passengers outside the vehicle while an 'empty corner tear,' or corner of a plastic baggie, was found in the passenger's pocket.
'The empty corner tear did NOT contain any illegal substance; however, this type of packaging is a common method for holding illegal drugs,' Botsch wrote in the post.
Footage of the body-cam videos show interactions between police and two of the passengers, both of whom were black men
As for the second clip of body camera footage, an officer is scene approaching the vehicle, as the front passenger can be seen in view recording on his cell phone using its front camera
On Saturday, Village of Caledonia Chief of Police Christopher Botsch commented on the incident in a post uploaded to Facebook
Botsch said since no drugs were discovered in the corner tear, officers discarded the empty packaging material in the vehicle, which is the moment the front passenger captured.
As for the second clip of body camera footage, an officer is scene approaching the vehicle, as the front passenger can be seen in view recording on his cell phone using its front camera.
'While we would discourage officers from discarding items into a citizen's vehicle, the video is clear that the officer is NOT planting evidence or doing anything illegal,' Botsch said in the post. 'Additionally, the empty corner tear is not itself illegal.'
According to Botsch, there were four officers were present on the scene, and more than six hours of body-cam footage to review, adding that all videos, in their entirety, will be released soon.
'The complete review will take some time, but I have reviewed portions of the body worn camera video,' he wrote. 'Please keep in mind that the cell phone video that is circulating depicts only a small portion of the entire encounter; whereas, all available video may provide more context.'
Although no one was arrested, Botsch said the driver was issued a speeding citation and a passenger was handcuffed.
Botsch's statement doesn't outline the reason behind the bag being tossed in the car if it was discouraged, nor does it explain why a passenger was searched and handcuffed — as a result of a speeding traffic stop.
