DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Police say a standards review has concluded that two Dayton officers did not violate departmental policy when they pulled a driver who said he was disabled from his car during a drug-related traffic stop last fall.
The Dayton Daily News reports that the department’s professional standards bureau used a third party to investigate whether officer’s actions during the Sept. 30 traffic stop involving Clifford Owensby aligned with the department’s policy at the time.
Owensby, who said he does not have use of his legs, said he felt helpless when he was removed from the car to the ground and handcuffed before being placed in the back of a police cruiser. Police said the officers were part of a narcotics investigation and saw the car leaving a suspected drug house. Due to that and the driver’s “felony drug and weapon history,” a K-9 team was summoned for a “free air sniff” that, under department policy, required occupants to leave the vehicle for their safety and that of the dog, police said.
Chief Kamran Afzal said last week that both the request for a free-air canine sniff and the traffic stop didn’t violate departmental policy, but both officers violated a policy regarding the muting of body cameras and one made a comment deemed unprofessional. They received a training memo regarding the violations.
The department is reviewing its policy to ensure that it is in accord with the Americans with Disability Act and will seek improvements in officer training and education as well as in building trust within the community, Afzal said.
