Sheriff says deputies did nothing wrong in HBCU bus search amid racial profiling accusations
A Georgia sheriff defended his deputies controversial search of a bus carrying predominately Black student-athletes from an HBCU bound for Delaware in a video recorded Wednesday.
In an exclusive video interview supplied to the Savannah Morning News, Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman told freelance photographer Lewis Levine that deputies did nothing wrong during a traffic stop involving women’s lacrosse players from Delaware State University.
The interview recorded at a courthouse in Hinesville, Georgia, comes a day after Bowman denied media representatives an opportunity to ask questions following his reading of a prepared statement during a news conference.
In the video, Levine asks Bowman if he felt deputies did anything wrong. Bowman pauses and looks away from the camera before answering, “No.” He followed his answer with an admission that his deputies could have better handled the situation.
"I would love to have an opportunity to talk to those young ladies and express how we can make things better, what we can do to make our training better and how we can help them understand we are here to help them and not to hurt them," said Bowman. "I reached out to the president of the school and hopefully we can make this happen."
At the end of the video, Bowman addresses what could be considered a disparaging remark made by one of the deputies. A deputy is heard telling another deputy, “There’s a bunch of dang schoolgirls on the bus. There’s probably some weed, maybe.”
The incident took place April 20. The team was returning home after playing their final game of the season at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, on April 19. The motorcoach was headed north on I-95 when the deputies pulled the vehicle over for traveling improperly in the left lane.
Bowman said the bus driving in the left lane was "a clear violation of Georgia state law." However, attorneys who reviewed the incident said the sheriff is wrong.
University of Georgia School of Law professor Melissa Redmon said that while the search may have been legal, the stop itself was likely improper. While the law does prevent trucks from traveling in the left hand lane, Redmon said the law explicitly excludes "busses and motorcoaches" from the definition for trucks.
'TRAUMATIZING': Coach, player speak out about bus search in Georgia
BACKGROUND: Why Delaware, Georgia activists aren't surprised by traffic stop involving DSU
OPINION: When it comes to the Delaware State lacrosse team, believe them over the police
Soon after the traffic stop, a K9 unit appeared. Bowman said a sheriff's office dog "alerted" on something near the front of the bus, which prompted a more thorough search.
“Liberty County Sheriff’s Office deputies had begun removing players’ bags from the vehicle’s cargo bay to search after asking Jones to open it”, according to the Delaware News Journal.
One of the players recorded the interaction and caught the moment when one of the deputies said, "If there is anything in y’all’s luggage, we’re probably gonna find it, OK? I’m not looking for a little bit of marijuana but I’m pretty sure you guys’ chaperones are probably gonna be disappointed in you if we find any."
The incident struck a nerve with many due to the officer’s harsh tone and how a minor traffic violation prompted a search in which no contraband was found. Here are four takeaways from the video:
Liberty County Sheriff: Thought body cam footage of DSU bus incident would silence outcry
Bowman said he thought releasing body cam footage would help silence public outcry regarding how the traffic stop was handled.
“I saw things were getting out of control,” said Bowman. “I thought the more we put out there to try to stop everyone with their own opinion. There are some you are never going to stop. But what we can do is communicate with each other and try to make the situation better.”
Instead, the body cam footage revealed just why many have expressed outrage at how deputies handled the incident, especially the remark from a deputy about "schoolgirls" possessing "weed".
Bowman defended the deputy by saying he did not think he meant any harm when he made the comment.
“I think that is a typical recreational drug that is commonly used by most people in America,” said Bowman. “So that’s probably what the deputy was referring to; not implying that the girls might have had it. The dog already alerted on the vehicle on the outside, so that is where that came from.”
Liberty County sheriff admits he misspoke at conference
Bowman admitted he misspoke during the press conference when he said no searches were conducted. Photos taken by players and body cam footage clearly show deputies searching the luggage area of the motorcoach and going through the passengers' bags.
“What I was meaning to say was that none of the people on the bus were checked or any of their property on the bus was checked because the dog never went on the bus,” said Bowman. “The dog alerted outside of the bus so that is what made the search legal.”
SPORTS NEWSLETTER: Sign up now to get top sports headlines delivered daily
Sheriff confirms K9 unit was 'working the interstate
Bowman addressed questions surrounding why a K9 was brought in.
“They were out there all morning working the interstate,” he said. “It was a four-person unit out there. The K9 was one of them. No one called the dog. The dog was already on site.”
Jonathan Rapping, a professor at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School and founder of Gideon's Promise, an organization to educate public defenders, said that using a dog to sniff a vehicle is legal so long as it does not prolong the traffic stop, but that dogs can be unreliable.
"The Supreme Court has said that a dog's sniff is not a search," he said. "But they will frequently have false positive alerts."
Liberty County to further investigate the incident with deputies
Bowman said an internal investigation is ongoing. They will work alongside their legal team to see if changes need to be made regarding how deputies interact with the public.
“We will definitely be taking more sensitivity classes and doing more community policing programs,” said Bowman. “As far as disciplinary issues, we are still going through the videos and doing our investigation. We are going to check with our legal team to see what we need to do better and what policies need to change. This is not something I’m going to brush off the table or hide. I’m going to be at the forefront.”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
Georgia GO Team state reporter Abe Kenmore contributed to this story.