A Federal lawsuit has been filed against the City of Wilmington over – what is described as – a stop, frisk and imprison policy of the police department.
The class action suit charges that authorities not only stop and frisk but handcuff individuals and take them to the police station detaining them in a holding cell for up to two hours.
Attorney Steven Norman argued in court papers that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that handcuffing, transporting, searching and imprisoning individuals on a reasonable suspicion is unconstitutional.
The Wilmington News Journal reports that the Police Department declined comment for pending litigation.
The suit sites one of two incidents in which plaintiff Jayvon Wright claims that in 2011 he was tackled, handcuffed, searched and taken to the policy station and held on a reasonable suspicion of loiter and disorderly conduct.
Both minor charges the documents say were eventually dropped.
