UPDATE: Wisconsin Police Respond To Viral Video Of Cops Allegedly Planting Evidence
UPDATE:
A Wisconsin police chief attempted to clear his officers of wrongdoing Saturday night (July 24) amid growing suspicion on social media that they planted evidence in a Black man’s car during a traffic stop.
Caledonia Police Chief Christopher Botsch explained the results of his investigation in a Facebook post and police body camera videos.
In a viral video on social media, an officer is seen tossing a plastic bag into the back seat of the pulled-over car. Botsch wrote that the bag didn’t contain drugs and was taken from a passenger’s pocket during the search.
“Since there were NO DRUGS in the corner tear, the officers discarded the empty packaging material in the vehicle. This is what was observed in the video,” the chief’s statement said.
Botsch said officers are discouraged from “discarding items into a citizen’s vehicle” but did not explain why it was allegedly done in this case.
He noted that the officers issued a speeding citation to the diver but did not make an arrest.
The police chief’s post included two video clips from different officer’s body cameras to support his version.
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A Black man is accusing a Wisconsin police officer of trying to plant drugs on him during a traffic stop and alleges to have video to prove it. The man, who goes by GlockBoy Savoo on Facebook, posted a now-viral video showing what appears to be a traffic stop in progress and captures a potentially incriminating moment.
According to TMZ, the officer is from the Caledonia Police Department and approaches the car quickly while tossing something into the back seat. The person taking the video, who appears to be Savoo, questions what it was.
The camera person then jumps into the back seat for a close-up shot of what appears to be a little baggie, possibly of drugs. The clip is only 16 seconds in length.
"First time ever seeing a cop try to throw sum on me just to get reason to search the car💯 he ain’t even know I was recording 💯 you can tell he was nervous 💯," Savoo captioned his Facebook post.
The Village of Caledonia Police Department has responded via Facebook, issuing a statement claiming they’ll be spearheading a full investigation, including pulling body camera footage, dash cam video and officer testimony from all law enforcement who were at the scene.
Christopher Botsch, Caledonia’s Chief of Police, also added: "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. The Caledonia Police Department believes strongly in transparency; therefore, all body worn camera video will be made available within the coming days."
