An internal review by Lower Merion police has found no evidence of racial profiling or improper treatment by officers who detained a black man at a bus stop in October.
The report came late Wednesday in response to a complaint filed by the NAACP.
Nathaniel Williams Jr., 58, was on his way to a doctor appointment to have his pacemaker checked when Lower Merion officers forced him to get on his knees and handcuffed him, according to police. They were searching for a man who had just robbed the TD Bank down the street and said Williams matched the description.
The department said its officers acted appropriately and respectfully in questioning Williams.
"The investigating officers had reasonable suspicion to conduct an investigatory stop," the statement said. "All procedures utilized at the scene of this encounter comply with the training and policies of the Police Department."
The incident revived previous allegations of racial profiling in Lower Merion that included snow shovelers being detained in January, an officer who sued the department in 2011, and a suit alleging racially motivated redistricting by the school district.
Dozens of black residents and their supporters attended a Nov. 4 police commission meeting to share personal anecdotes and the overall sense that blacks are treated as "second-class citizens," as one man put it.
Some called for external reviews of complaints against officers, while others urged the department to switch to a community-based model of policing to foster closer relationships with the residents.
Police Superintendent Michael McGrath said Thursday that community-building efforts are ongoing.
McGrath said the problem was not with how police acted but rather a growing perception nationwide of police officers as racist or untrustworthy.
"The unfortunate misperceptions about police services are lingering, and that's what we'e working on improving," he said. "But it is a two-way street."
In Williams' case, McGrath said, "The facts speak for themselves."
According to the review, Williams matched the description of a man who had robbed the TD Bank on Lancaster Avenue about 10 minutes earlier: a tall black male, 40 to 50 years old, wearing glasses and a hoodie, with no car.
After officers searched his bag, and a bank employee came over and confirmed that Williams was not the robber, he "was immediately unhandcuffed and his personal information was recorded for the investigative report," according to the statement.
The entire detention lasted about four minutes, the report said.
Williams and his representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, at the Nov. 4 hearing, Rev. James A. Pollard of Zion Baptist Church in Ardmore said Williams had been forced to wait on his knees until the bank employee cleared him.
"I'm asking for fairness and respect," Pollard said, urging the department "to review policies of detention and search and seizure."
The department's report disputes that, saying that Williams "was immediately helped to his feet" once the handcuffs were applied, and that he was not subjected to any rough treatment.
McGrath said no policy or procedure changes are planned.
610-313-8117 @JS_Parks
Memo