Parma Police defended the search of a 5-year-old boy during a December traffic stop, citing a K-9 alert for the presence of narcotics.
PARMA, Ohio (WOIO) - Parma Police released a follow-up statement Friday after a video showed officers searching a 5-year-old boy in a December traffic stop. According to the release from Parma Police, they have thoroughly reviewed the traffic stop conducted at 9:20 p.m. Dec. 26 in the area of Brook Park Road and West 33rd Street. According to Parma Police, officers initiated the traffic stop for a vehicle with an expired license plate and tinted windows.
The license plate has been expired since September 2024, according to police. The driver, Brandon Wilson, was cited and released. However, during this traffic stop, officers searched a 5-year-old boy, son of Wilson, which raised concerns and outrage from the community and the boy’s family.Parma Police said in the statement that during the stop a K-9 alerted for the presence, or recent presence, of a controlled substance at the front passenger side, where the child was seated. Parma Police clarified that its K-9 is trained to only alert to narcotics including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Parma Police said they do not use K-9s that are imprinted on marijuana in these situations.Parma Police said officers did not instruct the child to raise his hands, rather the child was mimicking the actions of his father.Officers searched the boy’s pockets and did not find anything, according to the release. The child was then released to the uncle. “The interaction with the child was brief, professional, and focused on ensuring the child’s welfare. These controlled substances are not only illegal but can also be lethal, even in minuscule amounts. The officer could not risk the safety of the child’s life, so the brief search was necessary under the circumstances,” the release said.Our decision to conduct this search was influenced by the increasing prevalence of tragic incidents where children have been harmed or killed after accidentally coming into contact with dangerous substance
POLICE SEARCH TRAFFIC STOP CHILD WELFARE DRUG ALERT K9
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