A 21-year-old African-American man used his cellphone to capture a Jacksonville, Fla. police officer threatening him with jail time – for jaywalking.
According to Devonte Shipman, the incident occurred on June 20 on a crosswalk across Lillian Rd. in east Jacksonville.
The video, captured clandestinely on Shipman’s cell, shows his and a friend’s interaction with a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer, identified in the video as Officer J.S. Bolen.
“What was it that I did wrong officer?” Shipman is heard saying at the start of the video.
“One, you weren’t in the crosswalk. Two, there was a red sign, you both crossed,” Officer Bolen replies, the “both” in reference to Shipman’s friend, before telling the two men to “get to my car.”
“That’s a $65 ticket apiece,” Officer Bolen continues. “You are being legally detained. If you don’t [move to my car] I’m going to put you in jail.”
Shipman asks the officer to outline the charge under which he’s being arrested, to which Bolen replies “Disobeying a direct order. Resisting without,” before once again ordering him to walk to his patrol car.
“I didn’t escalate the situation,” Shipman said in a later interview with the Florida Times-Union. “I was trying to figure out what I did wrong.”
Bolen then asks Shipman to produce identification, which he says he does not have on him.
“That’s another infraction,” Officer Bolen said. “In the state of Florida, you have to have an ID card on you identifying who you are or I can detain you for seven hours until I figure out who you are.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office told local media outlets, including the Miami Herald and the Florida Times-Union, that the officer was referring to Florida statute 322.15(1) when he threatened imprisonment over the lack of identification.
There’s just one problem: statue 322.15(1) refers to those operating motor vehicles, not pedestrians.
“Every licensee shall have his or her driver license, which must be fully legible with no portion of such license faded, altered, mutilated, or defaced, in his or her immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall present or submit the same upon the demand of a law enforcement officer or an authorized representative of the department.”
“You act like I really just committed a serious crime that’s worth this time right now,” a frustrated Shipman is heard saying as other police cars arrive on scene.
“There was two cars that were coming through the intersection that had to slow down,” Bolen replies a short time later. “They had the right of way, not you.”
As the two men argue, Shipman’s camera captures another man seemingly jaywalking across the exact street Shipman allegedly did – with the police officers seemingly oblivious.
The Florida-Times Union reports that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is reviewing the video, but that Officer Bolen is not under direct investigation at this time.
Shipman was eventually given two fines: a $62.50 fine for failing to obey a pedestrian control signal and a $136 fine for driver’s license not carried/exhibited on demand according to a copy of his citation obtained by the Miami Herald.
Shipman has told multiple local media outlets he plans to fight the ticket in court.
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