Police speak publicly for first time since detaining teen twice in controversial incidents

A full face covering known as a "shiesty." One key reason cited by the Battle Creek Police Department (BCPD) for having "reasonable articulable suspicion" to legally detain a teenager in Washington Heights on June 14, as permitted under U.S. Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio, is unsubstantiated in new video of what happened before the teen was stopped and handcuffed. The first sentence, written by the responding officer, identified only as N.L. 202261, in the initial incident report, reads: "I noticed a younger black male wearing a full face covering known as a 'sheisty.'" The boy was walking westbound on Greenwood Avenue, the officer wrote, with his left hand "clutching his waistline" while his right hand swung freely. He also wrote, "through my training and experience I know that people who wear a mask and conduct this behavior are trying to conceal their identity." The new video's release comes on the heels of a forum hosted by the African American Coalition about the incident, in which several city leaders and community members attended Tuesday night. BCPD Lieutenant Ryan answered a series of questions from attendees, including about police policy, marking the first time the community heard directly from someone within the police department regarding the incident on June 14, or the first incident involving the same teen on June 4 for which News Channel 3 obtained footage from on Tuesday. Controversy or community? The footage is the latest in an evolving and detailed picture of two controversial encounters between 16-year-old Jeremiah Spearman and Battle Creek police, 10 days apart. Neither incident has resulted in charges. News Channel 3 has been pursuing and receiving multiple open records requests, including police reports from both incidents, body cam and dash cam video, and the department's use-of-force policies. In body camera footage reviewed by News Channel 3 of the June 4 incident, an officer is heard responding to Spearman's insistence that he was slammed without cause: When somebody runs and pulls away from me and does the other side, I slam them. PR 420.2.7, Use of Force Protocols During a Stop, within Battle Creek Police Department Policy, says: "Officers shall use the least coercive means necessary under the circumstances, to affect the stop of a person." The policy continues: "Under no circumstances may force be used which could cause death or serious bodily harm to the person being stopped. If an officer is attacked or a circumstance exists that creates probable cause to arrest, the officer may use that amount of force necessary for self-defense, or to effect a full custody arrest." PR 420.1.3, Consensual Encounter, reads: "Persons encountered without legal cause to stop them may not be halted, detained, or frisked against their will. They may not be required to answer questions or to cooperate in any way if they do not wish to do so. If they refuse to cooperate, they must be permitted to go on their way, unless the officer has developed reasonable suspicion to escalate the consensual encounter to a stop or has developed probable cause to arrest." PR 420.3.1, Initiating a Field Interview states: "The factors an officer may use to establish reasonable suspicion for a stop include: appearance or demeanor suggesting criminal enterprise; actions suggesting criminal activity; presence in an area at an inappropriate hour; presence in a suspicious area; carrying suspicious objects; "excessive clothes for the climate or clothes bulging in a manner that suggest he/she is carrying a dangerous weapon"; and location in time and place to an alleged crime. https://wwmt.com/news/local/teen-deta... _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: WWMT on Facebook:   / wwmtnews   WWMT on Twitter:   / wwmtnews   Subscribe to WWMT on YouTube:    / @wwmtnews   WWMT Daily News Digest:    • WWMT-TV Daily Digest   For more information, visit https://www.wwmt.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 800.875.3333 WWMT is a MI based station and a CBS Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #WWMT #NEWSCHANNEL3 #Kalamazoo #Michigan