Description

My name is Michael Walls. I reside at 929 Fairmont Avenue in Madison Wisconsin. I’m an African American male, 56 years of age. I have no prior record, nor have I had contact with law enforcement over the years I’ve been licensed, beyond the occasional parking ticket, two speeding tickets, and one for driving without my seat belt. I’ve been driving for 40+ years.
On October 7, 2011 at approximately 7:40pm, I had just completed a 4 hour drive from Madison to Champaign to visit my girlfriend, who attends college here. She lives on W. Clark Street, and I had gotten off on Prospect. After calling her from a local gas station, I drove down Prospect en-route to her apartment.
I decided to turn a few blocks early, to see if I could get to her place from a different route, and wound up getting lost. It was dark, and I couldn’t see the street signs well enough to figure out where I was going, and I was too embarrassed to call and say that I was lost, just a few blocks from her house. I wound up stopping at a light (I believe this was Bradley Lane) and attempted to get my bearings. There was a squad car on my right that appeared to be making a right turn with the light. When the light turned green, I proceeded across the intersection.
I entered what appeared to be a cul-de-sac, and observed to AA men standing in the street with cell phones. I didn’t recognize anything about the area, and was just about to turn back onto Bradley when I was pulled over.
I want to state that the officers involved were professional, courteous, and efficient. At no time did I feel threatened or intimidated.
An officer approached my car, informed me that the conversation was being videotaped. He informed me that I had been stopped for “Improper Lane Usage”. I explained to him that I had just gotten off the freeway, and was traveling from Madison, Wisconsin. I also told him that I was lost, and was simply trying to find my way to W Clark Street. He asked what I was doing in Champaign, and I told him I was there to visit my girlfriend, who attends school here. The officer asked me for my license and proof of insurance. While I had a valid license, I could not provide my insurance card. I was told to wait in my vehicle, which I did. I assumed that I would be issued a ticket for not providing proof of insurance, which was fine. I did not expect what happened next.
The officer returned, and asked me again what I was doing in Champaign, and again I told him that I was visiting my girlfriend. He asked me if I had any drugs or drug paraphernalia in the car. I told him that I didn’t do them, and that I was there to visit my girlfriend. I also explained that I was from Madison Wisconsin, and didn’t know the town well, and that I was lost. Again, I was told to sit in my car, and that he would be back in a moment.
The officer came back, but this time he came to the right side of my vehicle, and began a surveillance sweep with his torch, beginning at the rear of the car, and moving to the front passenger side. After several minutes, he returned to the drivers’ side window, and requested that I turn my A/C full on, and roll up my windows. He explained that they were going to perform a “vent test” on my car. I wasn’t concerned, because the only thing they were going to get was the stale cigarette smoke, and the fish that I was bringing down for lunch the next day. I attempted to call my girlfriend to let her know what was going on, so that she wouldn’t worry, but was asked to put my phone down, which I did.
Approximately 5 minutes later, a female officer arrived. Looking in my side-view, I saw what appeared to be 4 squad cars and a narcotics SUV. The female officer approached my vehicle, and beginning with the left passenger side, swept the dog along my car. I listened closely as she “thumped” the sides of my car, and led the dog through its’ seek routine. At no time did the animals’ demeanor change. There was no increased agitation, barking, or any other sign that the dog had found something. I was relieved.
The officer again approached my vehicle, followed by a second officer. I was informed that the dog had “hit” on my vehicle, and was asked if I would consent to search. I told the officer that (and this was probably a mistake, but at the time I felt that I had nothing to hide) that would be fine. At this point I didn’t know what would have happened had I refused. “Would I be arrested on suspicion?”” Would I be harassed further, or worse?”
I was led to the back of the vehicle, and told to place my hands on the hood. My keys, wallet and all other objects in my pockets were removed, and I was patted down while one officer held my left wrist, the other my right, in the secure position behind my back. The officers (1 male, and the female Canine Specialist) spent about 40 minutes going through my car, from the steering wheel to the hatch, and any possible place that could conceal drugs, while the second male officer and I talked about music, as we are both musicans, him a guitarist, and me a drummer. When the search was completed, with no drugs found in the vehicle, I was searched yet again. I was asked to turn around and face the hood of the squad car. I was again restrained using the wrist method (again, gently), and they frisked me a third time, this time even searching the crotch of my pants, as the female officer looked on. I was then asked to turn around, and to remove my shoes, which were shaken and examined using a torch.
I was told that the place I had pulled into was a known area for drug activity. I don’t question the need for heightened surveillance of such. What I DO have a problem with, and this question still bothers me now, is this: Had I been a white male, 56 years old, with out of town plates, would I have been subjected to nearly an hour of questioning? Or would I simply have been ticketed for not having proof of insurance, and shown the best route to my destination? My car wasn’t reeking of pot-smoke, I showed no signs of being under the influence of anything. My only offense was driving into the wrong area while lost, and being the wrong color while doing it.
In the end, I was issued a ticket for not having proof of insurance, and for “Improper Lane Usage” (?) I was released on a $2000 signature bond, which I would have been fine with, had I not been subjected to a search that went well beyond the reason for stopping me in the first place. I have to drive back to the town of Champaign in November from Madison, WI for a mandatory court appearance to show proof of insurance. I’m concerned that now when I come to Champaign, my vehicle will be on some sort of list, and I’ll be stopped every time I come to visit. Again, I understand that there is a drug problem, not just here, but across the country, but I also believe that in the quest to fight against it, law enforcement should practice discretion, and use common sense. I believe that I was put through this because I was an African American, and while I’m quite familiar with racial profiling, this is the first time it’s happened to me, and it leaves me feeling enlightened, angry, and sad at the same time. I know that law enforcement has an uphill battle, but you need the support of your community to succeed. Treating people like this does nothing to help your cause.

Thank you.
Sincerely
Michael R. Walls
608 358-5579

P.S. I will be going to a mandatory court hearing in Urbana on 11/11/2011, and I feel that I'd like to speak about this issue, but I'm not sure as to how to do it.