Email This Story
Print This StoryRelated To Story |
Commissioner Calls For Big Changes At Police Department
POSTED: 4:59 pm EDT June 21,
2006
UPDATED: 5:45 pm EDT June 21,
2006
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Orlando city commissioner is calling for big changes at the police department, because, she said, her son was racially profiled during a traffic stop.
ALSO: Police Union Wants Apology For "White Boy" Comment
Wednesday, Daisy Lynum told Eyewitness News she wants the city to consider putting cameras and microphones in every patrol car. She said having video and audio recordings in the cars during every traffic stop would not only be safer for the officers, it would prevent the type of 'he said-she said' controversies like the one now involving her son."I think it's time to end the debate regarding the racial divide and get to something that's positive and helps our city," Lynum said.She said that means documenting how every citizen is treated during a traffic stop, using onboard cameras and microphones in every Orlando patrol car."We don't agree with profiling and we're not people who will sit down and not do anything about it," she said.
Lynum's call to action in a letter addressed to the mayor and fellow commissioners was prompted by a recent exchange with Police Chief Mike McCoy. He criticized Lynum's choice of words, referring to his officers as "white boys" and her fear of them shooting her 30-year-old son, Juan, during a traffic stop for a broken headlight last month.Lynum also called for the city to consider an anti-profiling ordinance, but a police spokesperson said the city already practices bias-free policing."We can't change anybody's mind, we were hurt by the statements. We certainly would have liked her to have said they weren't the right statements to make," said Sgt. Barbara Jones, Orlando Police Department.Jones said the police chief welcomes the idea of cameras, but a three-piece system with camera, control panel and recorder costs more than $4,000. With 339 Orlando police cars on routine patrol, it could cost more than $1.5 million."I don't care if we sell candied apples, I think it's a way our officers need to be protected. There are too many incidents and so many that are never reported, so I thought it was a win-win for everybody," Lynum said.The letter Lynum wrote asked the police chief to look at funding options for the cameras and report back to the city council within six months.
ALSO: Police Union Wants Apology For "White Boy" CommentWednesday, Daisy Lynum told Eyewitness News she wants the city to consider putting cameras and microphones in every patrol car. She said having video and audio recordings in the cars during every traffic stop would not only be safer for the officers, it would prevent the type of 'he said-she said' controversies like the one now involving her son."I think it's time to end the debate regarding the racial divide and get to something that's positive and helps our city," Lynum said.She said that means documenting how every citizen is treated during a traffic stop, using onboard cameras and microphones in every Orlando patrol car."We don't agree with profiling and we're not people who will sit down and not do anything about it," she said.
Previous Stories:
- June 21, 2006: Police Union Wants Apology For "White Boy" Comment
- June 19, 2006: Investigation Launched Over Police Stop Of Commissioner's Son
Copyright 2007 by wftv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
