21-year-old Devonte Shipman, a Jacksonville resident, was stopped for jaywalking by Sheriff’s Officer J.S. Bolen recently. He filmed the whole incident on his phone as he is first accused of jaywalking, then cited for not carrying an ID and threatened with jail time. Shipman wants to see the North Florida police officer disciplined for what he considered a waste of time and a threat against him.
Jacksonville man posts video of jaywalking incident on Facebook
Shipman posted his video to Facebook, where it started going viral on Monday and at the time of writing has attracted around 550,000 views.
Shipman said he didn’t expect his video to go viral, but on the other hand, he also didn’t think anything would happen to him when he crossed Arlington Road, a short distance from his home.
Shipman told the media that he had never come across anyone getting stopped for jaywalking, saying he didn’t know you could be stopped. The Florida man asked himself at the time of the incident how can jaywalking be a crime when you see it happen so often.
Jaywalker chooses to capture the incident on video
After Shipman crossed the road, Officer Bolen was waiting for him. Knowing what has happened in other encounters with the police, Shipman said he had experienced problems with law enforcement before and decided to capture the whole thing on video.
He said you never know what might happen if the incident isn’t being recorded.
As reported by ABC News, Bolen then accuses the man of jaywalking, ordering him to go to his police car and threatening Shipman with arrest. When he asks for Shipman’s ID and is told he isn’t carrying it, Bolen then (apparently incorrectly) tells him under Florida law he must have his identification with him at all times.
Shipman said he was unsure of the situation and didn’t understand why he had been stopped for merely crossing the road, adding that the officer can’t take him to jail just because he feels like it. He then received tickets from the police officer for both jaywalking and not having his drivers’ license with him.
Bolen wrote on the latter ticket that the statute in question was 322.15. However, that statute reportedly only applies to drivers, not pedestrians.
Florida man wants police officer suspended or fired
Shipman would now like to see the officer get suspended from his job, adding that he would then have to work in another county and wouldn’t keep bothering them in theirs. He prefers, however, that the officer gets fired.
As noted by the Miami Herald, the Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union took to Twitter over the incident, saying this type of policing is destroying trust in colored communities. They suggested that the Jacksonville PD should look at ways to deescalate this kind of encounter.
In another tweet they suggested that rather than using “broken windows” tactics with the public, that are ineffective, the police department should undergo community and diversity policing training.
This type of policing destroys trust in communities of color. The Jacksonville PD should seek ways to deescalate these types of situations. https://t.co/uTcJVf9Gzi
— ACLU of Florida (@ACLUFL) June 27, 2017
Rather than use “broken windows” tactics that prove ineffective, Jacksonville PD should have diversity & community policing training.
— ACLU of Florida (@ACLUFL) June 27, 2017
ABC News quotes Melissa Bujeda, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, as saying they are aware of Shipman’s video and that they are conducting an administrative review of the incident.
