URBANDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT

3740 86th Street

Urbandale, Iowa 50322-4016
Ph: 515-278-3938 Fax: 515-278-3939
ROSS McCARTY- CHIEF

Fa rica Robertson
Email: faricarobertson@gmail.com
We received your complaint reference racial profiling by Officer Wilcutt resulting in a
traffic stop on 03-11-2015. Below are the possible outcomes of a complaint
investigation:
Exonerated (Proper Conduct): The allegation is true. The action of the agency or the
employee was consistent with agency policy, procedure, or rules and regulations.
Substantiated (Improper Conduct): The allegation is true. The action of the agency or
the employee was inconsistent with agency policy, procedure, or rules and regulations .
Unfounded Complaint (False): The allegation is either demonstrably false or there is no
credible evidence to support it.
Unsubstantiated Complaint (Insufficient Evidence): There is insufficient evidence to
confirm or refute the allegation.
After a thorough investigation into the incident, the complaint has been classified as
follows :

Unfounded- After a thorough investigation including the review of video of the traffic
stop there is no evidence to support the allegation the stop was the result of racial
profiling.
Upon interviewing you about the incident, you stated you felt the stop was racially
motivated for several reasons to include the following:
The officer belittled you and scolded you for asking questions. Upon
reviewing the video, the officer does admonish you for not knowing the restriction
on your privileges to drive as determined by your temporary restricted license. I
believe he does this as he does not believe you when you tell him you were
unaware of the restriction and that you were not working today but running
errands. Officer Wilcutt even goes so far as to read the bold print on the
Department of Transportation paperwork which clearly states the restrictions. At
no point during the stop does Officer Wilcutt scold you about asking questions or
even discuss the fact that you are asking him questions.
The officer called you ignorant. In review of the video, Officer Wilcutt does not
call you ignorant. He does use the phrase "ignorance of the law is no excuse"
which is an often used legal term when attempting to explain to you what will

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happen at court. Officer Wilcutt was referring to the fact you told him you did not
know the restrictions until being stopped and having them explained to you. He
was attempting to clarify that if you tell a judge you were unaware of the law you
will be unsuccessful in court due to the legal precedent that "ignorance of the
law" is not a valid defense.
The officer asked you why you were dressed up. This questioning was a
tactic used by Officer Wilcutt to elicit a response by you of where you had been
driving. Officer Wilcutt would then use this statement by you in court to prove
you were violating the temporary restricted license. Prior to him asking the
question about your clothes, you had simply told him you were running errands
rather than specifics about where you had been.
The officer was evasive about the reason for the stop. Upon reviewing the
video, the first question you asked when Officer Wilcutt made contact with you
was why you were stopped. Officer Wilcutt immediately tells you he stopped you
for a brake lamp being out. You acknowledge his response by stating you did
not know it was out. Later in the stop when Officer Wilcutt is issuing you a
warning notice for the brake lamp he explains in detail which lamp is out and
what the law is regarding the functioning of the equipment.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention as it helps us provide better
service to our community. After interviewing you about this incident, I understand how a
person in the community can have a much different perception of a traffic stop than
what was intended by the officer. I hope our conversation and the results of this
investigation can be an example of the open dialogue and trust we hope to garner with
the community. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the matter further,
please feel free to contact me.

Captain Rob ohansen

Administrative Services Commander
Urbandale Police Department.

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