UPDATE: Bystanders complain in course of Perry PD traffic stop

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Perry Police Department officers examined a vehicle stopped in the 1700 block of Evelyn Street Saturday night. One man was arrested on suspicion of OWI in the incident.
Perry Police Department officers examined a vehicle stopped in the 1700 block of Evelyn Street Saturday night. One man was arrested on suspicion of OWI in the incident.

A traffic stop about 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1700 block of Evelyn Street in Perry resulted in the arrest of Ousmane Camara, 26, of 2120 11th St., #208, Emmetsburg, on charges of first-offense OWI and interference with official acts.

In the course of the incident, bystanders registered their complaints about the intervention by officers of the Perry Police Department.

Camara, who at first refused to exit the GMC passenger van, was taken into custody at the scene. A passenger in the vehicle was detained and later released at the scene following a brief police investigation.

The vehicle was impounded.

One of the bystanders, a woman claiming to be the passenger’s sister, briefly interfered with the investigation but calmed down after receiving a verbal warning from one of the Perry Police Department officers.

Other bystanders also expressed concern. One bystander identified the passenger in the vehicle as a former Perry resident who now lives in Cedar Rapids.

 

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7 COMMENTS

  1. Bravo for the officer taking a moment to explain the procedure and descalate the situation. She didn’t have to do that during her investigation. Saddens me that our law enforcement has to justify their actions to the public and get heckled and questioned when they are just trying to do their job. There appears to be a false sense of entitlement of thinking that bystanders have a right to know what’s going on during that situation. They do not. This situation could have been very dangerous for all involved, and the people demanding answers were distracting the officers, placing them at an increased risk. With all the recent events occurring and everyone on guard about them, civilians really should think before they speak. There is an appropriate time and place for everything.

    • I totally agree with Jen. The police are just trying to do their jobs. For Pete’s sake, it’s a traffic stop. None of your business. If the driver’s not doing anything wrong, what’s he or the passenger or the bystanders worrying about? And don’t get me started about the people with their phones recording everything. They’d love to have something big happen so they get the “Thank God somebody got that on video” pat on the back. Support the officers. I’m sure you’ll need them someday.

      • Actually, everything the police does is our business, though we should give them discretion concerning ongoing investigations and such. Perry is fortunate to have such a fine police department, but we can only keep them performing at these higher-than-average standards with public scrutiny. Indeed, as long as one does not get close enough to interfere, obstruct or endanger any of the parties involved, it is not only one’s right but one’s duty to observe and record what transpires.

  2. If she was his sister, couldn’t she tell he was drunk? Or is that just his common state in life? How would she feel if it was HER body he ran over in a drunken stupor?

  3. I have in the past been arrested by a Perry police officer. I forgot to pay a fine and had my license suspended. He had every right to take me in. I don’t argue that. I do question the stop. How could he see a small crack in my windshield while going the opposite direction on 141? But to follow me halfway through town to my house and pull up in the street and approach the car without making a stop, just to see who was driving? If I hadn’t been drunk, I would have had a lot to say. But I wasn’t given the chance. My wife did all the talking because she was the one driving and hadn’t been drinking.

    • That all happened 10 years ago. The police department was one of many reasons why I moved out of Perry and won’t live in that town again.

  4. Police in that town get a little carried away at times and do harass people, especially if they have gotten in trouble in the past. I think they look for things to do. Yes, there are cops who do their jobs, but let’s not act like they are entitled just because of the uniforms.

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