Four Black Parole Officers Held at Gunpoint by Cops Are Now Suing

Four black parole officers are suing a police department in New York state after its officers pulled them over and held them at gunpoint last April, USA Today reports.

The incident, which was captured on a police dashcam, shows members of the Ramapo Police Department boxing in the four parole officers’ vehicle at an intersection in Airmont, NY and pulling their handguns soon after the stop. One officer can be seen reaching into driver’s side of the state-own car as  parole officer Mario Alexandre emerged with his hands up.  

Another cop is seen approaching the four parole officers with a rifle pointed at them after they were taken out of the car and into police custody. The four officers have a federal lawsuit pending against the Ramapo Police Department, its town, and others alleging racial profiling and civil rights violations.

The parole officers’ names are Samuel Washington, Sheila Penister, Annette Thomas-Prince and Mario Alexandre.

"If these guys aren't safe, imagine what a young black man feels about interacting with the police," Damon Jones, the New York representative of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, told USA Today. "They have no chance."

The lawsuit claims that the parole officers were wearing state-issued bullet proof vests, gold badges and identifications clearly displayed on chains around their necks. The suit also claims the parole officers’ car displayed a sign on the dashboard that read, “"State of New York — Executive Department — Division of Parole.” Local police ran the license number of the state-issued car and confirmed that the parole officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant.

Video of the incident was obtained by The Journal News after appealing a denial of a Freedom of Information Law request with the town of Ramapo. None of the four video clips obtained by the newspaper contain audio from the officers’ mics, so you can’t hear what any of them are saying. The parole officers’ lawsuit claims the defendants also "failed to provide complete and accurate copies of audio/video recordings" to the plaintiffs as "part of their cover up to avoid liability.

The lawsuit also names Rockland County, the village of Suffern and Suffern Police Department as defendants.

Citing an ongoing investigation, Ramapo denied the The Journal News’ FOIL request for the officers’ police reports. The town doesn’t believe its officers did anything wrong.

"The actions of the town of Ramapo police were reasonable under the circumstances," said Ramapo Assistant Town Attorney Dennis Lynch.

"I have no doubt when the court views all the documents and the evidence that our officers will be vindicated," Patrick Withers, deputy town supervisor and a former NYPD officer, said.

The town also said the parole officers should have given them a courtesy call let them know they were in town on state business.

There is no legal requirement for the parole officers to do so.

Grant Valentine of Chestnut Ridge, a retired parole officer and NAACP member, said it was a classic racial profiling incident.

"I think what they saw was four black people they perceived to have guns in a car and they reacted based on those assumptions," he said. Valentine said the parole officers continued to be interrogated after being identified. "They are traumatized," he said. "They feel violated. They feel betrayed by one of their fellow police agencies."