Joplin Police Department challenges Facebook allegation of racially motivated traffic stop

(The Joplin Police Department responded on its Facebook page a couple of hours ago to an allegation on another Facebook page of a racially-motivated traffic stop. The post is printed below.)

We recently became aware of a circulating Facebook post, which alleges that a member of the community experienced a racially motivated car stop. 

We are very strong proponents of transparency and we believe in accountability. With that in mind, we have reached out to the author(s). We have spoken with them in-person and over the phone. We have asked for their help so that we might be able to ascertain any wrongdoing and so that we might restore the confidence and trust that we have worked so hard to earn. 

The post in question states that they were at Parr Hill Park on Wednesday the 21st and that they left that location in separate vehicles. 

Allegedly there were Joplin Police cruisers circling the area during that time. The specific allegation is that the citizen was stopped at about 8 PM near East 7th St. and MO 249 and that the stop was because police were looking for a black male driver of a suspicious vehicle. (East 7th Street and MO 249 is outside of our jurisdiction.) 

Our police vehicles have Automatic Vehicle Locators (AVL) on them. We have checked our records and on Wednesday, September 21st, between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM there were no police vehicles near East 7th Street and MO 249 nor were there any near 18th Street and Kansas Ave. (Parr Hill Park area) 

Most Joplin Police units have cameras and some officers have body-worn cameras. With assistance, we might be able to determine the nature of the contact between one of our officers and the author.

  

During a face-to-face conversation with the author(s), they repeatedly state that they want nothing to do with this and they distance themselves from the allegation of a racially motivated stop by Joplin Officers. The author(s) have apologized for the post and stated, “we did not think it would get this big”. 

At almost noon today, we were told that the post would be taken down. As of 2:00 PM the post still exists and has been shared over three thousand times.

We are unable to determine if a Joplin Police officer stopped the driver in question. The police department conducted approximately fifty car stops during a twenty-four-hour period on Wednesday and none of those stops appear to involve this driver and none were near East 7th Street and MO 249. Without their assistance, we are unable at this time to corroborate or investigate the allegation. It is our heartfelt desire to do the right thing. We need their help to do so. 

We would like to remind everyone that the Joplin Police Department holds our officers to the highest standards. Serious allegations have serious implications for our department and for your community. Please be responsible with what you type and what you share. 

If you have any information regarding this car stop/contact please contact the Joplin Police Department at 417-623-3131.