Police chief issues statement on officers’ actions during traffic stop

Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey issued a statement on Wednesday regarding a traffic stop his officers conducted that gained national attention.

The video of the March 25 traffic stop was taken by Ryan Brown after he and his brother, Benjamin, were pulled over. In the video, Ryan Brown asks why officers pulled them over and makes it clear he is recording. An officer is seen pointing a gun at Ryan Brown from outside the vehicle while Benjamin Brown is cuffed outside the car. Eventually the officer comes to Ryan Brown’s side of the car and asks him to step out to be checked for weapons. When he doesn’t comply, the officer pulls Ryan Brown out of the car and pins him to the ground.

According to documents obtained by KRDO NewsChannel 13, Officer Dave Nelson pulled over the Brown brothers. He called for backup from Officer Alison Detwiler. According to documents from a personnel investigation, Detwiler said Nelson did not communicate with her why the brothers were being pulled over. She said she couldn’t hear what Nelson was saying to the brothers, so when Nelson pulled his Taser, she pulled out her gun. Detwiler said she’s worked with Nelson a lot.

“The way he escalates himself so rapidly, I think, sometimes escalates things more than they need to be, and it’s frustrating,” said Detwiler in police documents.

Nelson’s supervisor, Sgt. Steve Biscaro, said Nelson was a “BB in a boxcar to start with, so he — he’s kind of excitable.”

Still, Biscaro said he didn’t have any problem with how Nelson handled the situation. He said Brown was “trying to bait the officers into doing something.”

Brown said Nelson escalated the situation and a traffic stop never should have ended with handcuffs.

“He just went off the deep end. He took it from 0 to 100, without, there was no equal medium, he wasn’t being professional that day,” said Brown.

Also, Brown said Chief Carey’s comments that officers have different policing styles that don’t necessarily violate policy, only gives officers the OK to behave poorly.

“I feel like the chief to say what he said, he is basically giving officers the green light. He’s telling them, it’s OK. You can behave like that. You clearly violated policy,” said Brown.

He said officers who can’t keep their cool should be taken off the force. He also thinks there need to be clear policies for interaction with the public.

“If you can’t keep your cool and (be) even-tempered on day-to-day stuff, a traffic accident, then you shouldn’t be an officer,” said Brown.

Police Chief Pete Carey released this statement:

“Prior to any findings being made on an internal investigation the complaint is thoroughly investigated. I thank the public for their patience in this process. While we would like to have released this information earlier there is a balance that must take into account the on-going criminal investigation as well as preserving the rights of complainants and all parties involved in the investigative process.

“Traffic stops offer many different perspectives from that of police officers to the drivers and passengers and bystanders or witnesses standpoint. This investigation included interviews with independent witnesses. This dichotomy of views can sometimes cause conflicts in expectations and outcomes.

“I ask the public to read the investigation in its entirety in order to make an informed decision. The process of releasing an internal investigation is not something that I take lightly. There were honest comments, statements and opinions made from all parties. Stylistic difference in delivery of police services occur with each individual officer and every situation they encounter. These differences are not necessarily policy violations.”