Controversy
The Bakersfield Police Department has been criticized over the years as being a department that relies on heavy handed tactics and over use of force when dealing with crime. A number of complaints by criminals, suspects, families of people involved in investigations by the BPD as well as witnesses have surfaced in recent years. Complaints of excessive force, racial profiling, harassment and delays in response for calls for service have been levied against the department.
In March 2001, Tony Eddington and Robert Johnson were stopped in the city of Bakersfield for a traffic violation. The two men, who are black, say they were ordered to strip from their clothing in order to be searched on the roadside. The men contend the search was racially motivated. The two men sued the BPD for damages exceeding $350,000.00. The BPD settled out of court for an undisclosed sum and have since installed a permanent policy detailing rules on when officers may conduct strip searches in the field.
There have been many complaints against the BPD for excessive use of force. Most notably is when there is an officer involved shooting. Many critics of the department have made the charge of shooting first, asking questions later and firing too many rounds at suspects. A federal probe of the BPD was begun in July 2003. The probe would seek information and investigate some 47 complaints against the BPD for use of force and racial profiling. In January 2008, the United States Department of Justice cleared the Bakersfield Police Department of any wrongdoing stemming from the complaints.
Read more about this topic: Bakersfield Police Department
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