Kalamazoo Police Release Body Cam Footage To Prove Man Was Not Racially Profiled During Traffic Stop

Kalamazoo, MI, 1 March, 2017 -- Body camera footage sheds new light on an incident in which a Kalamazoo man said he was profiled by Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers.

On March 1, Joseph Harris was pulled over on Riverview Drive for having tinted windows and a faulty brake light on his 2008 Dodge Magnum.

The tickets were later waived, in part because his brake lights were functioning properly at the time.

A portion of the incident is captured in footage from a dash-mounted camera in a police car and by body cameras worn by officers Matthew Gernaat and Matthew Slenk.

All Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers began wearing body cameras at the end of February.

Department policy directs officers to activate the system at the start of their shift and record any contact with citizens and calls involving the use of emergency lights.

When asked if KDPS officers profiled Harris, Chief Jeff Hadley flatly said "no."

Hadley said Gernaat is a newly hired officer in training, with less than six months on the job, while Slenk is a veteran officer who was paired with him.

Harris, a black man in his 40s, has lived in Kalamazoo his entire life.

He said he still believes he was profiled by two officers after they saw his race during the traffic stop.

Harris was on probation at the time for a domestic violence conviction, which Hadley said was irrelevant to this incident.

The police chief said he believes the footage is enough to adequately document what happened.

The footage begins with the officers pulling Harris over near a McDonald's restaurant drive-thru.

Dash camera footage shows the officers approach Harris' car and ask him for his license and registration.

Harris turned over his registration and proof of insurance to Gernaat, but had left his driver's license at his father's home.

The officers discuss what tickets to write Harris before giving him three tickets for having tinted windows, faulty brake lights and no driver's license.

Harris said the windows are factory tint and were the same since he purchased the vehicle.

While waiting for the officers to return, Harris exited his car to point out other vehicles with tinted windows at the McDonald's drive-thru.

Footage shows Gernaat and Slenk explaining the tickets to Harris, which Harris called "ridiculous" before exiting his vehicle.

Hadley said the man was "pretty mouthy" with police.

"Why'd you pull me over man?" Harris asked while opening the door to his car. "Like, the real reason?"

Gernaat said it was because the police chief doesn't like tinted windows.

"I don't give a (expletive) about a chief man," Harris said.

As Harris continued to express frustration with the tickets, Gernaat and Slenk began walking back toward the patrol vehicle.

"Have a good one," Gernaat said.

While stepping back toward the car, Slenk told Harris he better remove the "shake" from his vehicle. Slenk had mistaken wet grass on the vehicle's floor mat for marijuana.

"There's no weed on the (expletive) floor. I don't even smoke," Harris said. "Shut up."

Slenk told Gernaat he smelled "a little bit" of marijuana in the vehicle. While Slenk sat in the patrol car, Harris approached the vehicle and pointed at Slenk to come back out.

Both officers followed Harris back to the Magnum. Harris asked Slenk to show him where the marijuana was, and the officer admitted he was mistaken.

Harris continued to vent after Slenk asked what his problem was.

"You're the problem. Don't say I have weed when I don't have weed," Harris said. "I'm an engineer (expletive).

Harris said police asked to search the vehicle after giving him a ticket. This is not shown on the footage released, and Hadley said police did not ask to perform a search.

"Nobody is searching your car," Slenk said as he and Gernaat walked away. "Calm down."

Harris left and returned to his father's house to tell him of the encounter. Feeling something was amiss, Harris drove to KDPS headquarters on Crosstown Parkway and spoke with Sgt. Chad Vanderklok, who told Harris the tickets would be waived.

Hadley said the traffic stop was legal and two of the tickets were valid. Police made a mistake in writing a ticket for malfunctioning brake lights, he said.

The tinted windows on Harris' vehicle also would have prevented the officers from pulling Harris over due to his race, Hadley said.