It was solely 5 years in the past that Kentucky cop Doug Ullrich wrote an opinion piece for the native newspaper, proclaiming to “stand in opposition to abuse of energy” in addition to claiming to face for “justice and equality.”
However since then, the Covington police officer has been sued 5 occasions for abusing his energy, incomes a fame for focusing on Black folks, in line with the latest lawsuit filed in opposition to him final week.
“Ullrich has a protracted historical past of profiling African People,” states the lawsuit filed in federal court docket by Kentucky lawyer Jamir A. Davis, who relies out of Covington, a metropolis with a inhabitants of 40,000 folks, 11 p.c of whom are Black.
“Ullrich has a protracted historical past of wrongfully accusing African People of being intoxicated or smelling like marijuana as a way of initiating unconstitutional searches.”
That’s precisely what the cop did to Damien Conner on Sept. 23, 2024, a Black man who was driving to work when he was pulled over by Ullrich for utilizing his cellphone whereas driving, which is punishable by a $25 tremendous for first-time offenders.
And that’s precisely what he has completed to 5 different residents who will seemingly be added as defendants to the present lawsuit, mentioned Jamir Davis, the lawyer representing Conner, in a phone interview with Atlanta Black Star.
“I’ve his personnel file and man, it’s egregious, it’s dangerous,” Davis mentioned, offering Atlanta Black Star with a full copy of the information.
“The man has over 209 pages value of personnel information. He’s wrecked in all probability 15 automobiles and been discovered at fault for over 9 wrecks.”
“He’s despatched textual content messages to different officers stating, ‘I don’t comply with coverage.’ He’s improperly dealt with proof in opposition to the orders of his supervisor.”
“And his factor now could be to instantly come as much as a automobile and say he smells weed, simply in order that he can search it and a number of occasions he’s not discovering something.”
Davis mentioned Conner works for the railroad and will get drug examined regularly and has by no means failed a check, so it was a shock to him when he was accused of smoking marijuana.
The lawsuit states that Conner was compliant with Ullrich by handing over his driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance coverage, which the officer then took again to his patrol automobile to verify Conner for any warrants, which he didn’t have.
Nonetheless, Ullrich referred to as for backup. Covington police officer Anthony Fritsch responded. Fritsch is listed together with Ullrich in a minimum of one in every of his earlier lawsuits.
Ullrich then walked again to Conner’s automobile and requested if he had a gun within the automobile.
Conner, who’s a registered gun proprietor, was stunned by the query as a result of it was irrelevant to the site visitors cease, so he instructed the cop he was not answering any questions as a result of he wanted to get to work.
However that angered Ullrich, who then ordered Conner to take away his seatbelt and step out of the automobile.
“I don’t wish to have to tear you out of the automobile and take you to jail, so take your seat belt off,” Ullrich threatened.
“What are you taking me to jail for?” Conner requested.
“I’m telling you I don’t wish to, so take your seat belt off,” Ullrich says.
“I don’t wish to get out of my automobile, cease, that is in opposition to my will,” Conner responded.
That was when Ullrich knowledgeable Conner he was being arrested and proceeded to handcuff each his wrists whereas he was nonetheless sitting within the driver’s seat.
He then tried to yank the Black man out of his automobile by means of the open window, however he was strapped to his seat by his seatbelt, which the cop then minimize off him.
Finally, Ullrich and Fritsch opened the door and pulled the Black man out.
“Why am I being arrested?” requested Conner.
“For refusing to get out of the automobile,” Ullrich responded.
“Why do I’ve to get out of my automobile for a ticket?” Conner requested.
“As a result of your automobile stinks like weed,” the cop claimed.
“I don’t smoke weed,” responded Conner. “I work for the railroad. I can’t smoke weed.”
Watch the video under:
False Costs and Coverup
Ullrich knowledgeable Conner he was being arrested for obstruction for refusing to step out of the automobile, putting the Black man in his patrol automobile whereas he then searched by means of his automobile, discovering the gun – however not discovering any weed.
“Have a look at this, a gun, simply as I believed,” he mentioned to himself after discovering the gun enclosed in a zippered pouch, apparently believing Conner was not legally allowed to own a gun.
Nonetheless, Conner is a authorized gun proprietor and had each proper to be in possession of the gun, which was why he was by no means charged with any gun-related crimes.
However, he spent the evening in jail on fees of obstruction and resisting arrest. These fees had been dismissed, in line with the lawsuit, which accuses Ullrich of utilizing extreme drive, assault, battery, negligence, in addition to deliberately inflicting emotional misery.
The lawsuit additionally names Col. Brian Valenti, the division’s police chief, because the one who allowed Ullrich to proceed working as a police officer regardless of his troubled historical past. The lawsuit accuses the chief of protecting up for Ullrich.
“Valenti was personally concerned within the constitutional deprivation of plaintiff’s constitutional rights by taking part within the act of protecting up proof and never correctly preserving cellphone textual content messages and witness statements in an try to criminally cost plaintiff,” the declare states.
“Valenti was personally concerned in a ample informal connection of plaintiff’s constitutional rights by their approval of fabricated and factious police incident stories. Valenti was reckless and had a callous indifference for the rights of plaintiff.”
Ullrich’s Op-Ed
Ullrich, who was employed by the Covington Police Division in 2011, wrote an opinion piece for River Metropolis Information in 2020 within the wake of the George Floyd protests which had been occurring all through the nation on the time, elevating consciousness in regards to the injustices of the authorized system particularly the way it impacts Black folks.
“I’m a white police officer in a big division in an city space. I can now not sit idly by with out providing my ideas and emotions on the occasions throughout the nation,” Ullrich wrote to start his opinion piece.
He went on to write down that the Covington Police Division was totally different from different companies who recurrently make the information for abusing their energy.
“I’ve by no means seen overtly racist actions by my brothers or sisters in my division. In actual fact, I consider that my division is on the forefront of ‘doing it proper.’”
He additionally acknowledged the racial points that have an effect on Black folks on this nation each day.
“I’ll by no means know what it’s prefer to be Black, to be a girl, to be deprived, to be in a spot the place I felt the necessity to worry the police,” he wrote.
“I hope that I can proceed to develop, however know that I can’t ever totally comprehend what it’s like for somebody who is just not me.”
And like most individuals within the nation on the time, he claimed to help the protesters demonstrating in opposition to the homicide of George Floyd by concluding his article with the next:
I stand with, and for, George Floyd. I stand with protesters. I stand in opposition to hate. I stand in opposition to abuse of energy. I stand with the police. I stand for love. I stand for you.I stand, as firmly and as evenly as I can, for justice and equality.
Prior Lawsuits
The sentiment he expressed within the op-ed was short-lived, nevertheless, as a result of the next yr he was sued twice for the primary time in his 10-year, which was adopted by three extra lawsuits over the subsequent 4 years, together with this one.
Three of these lawsuits stay pending, one has been closed and one other is within the enchantment course of, in line with native media.
“Of the 5 civil lawsuits filed in opposition to Ullrich since 2021, 4 claimed that Ullrich searched or arrested them after allegedly smelling marijuana in a automobile,” in line with WCPO.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to the Covington Police Division for remark however the police officer who answered the cellphone mentioned, “no remark” and a name to town lawyer went unreturned.
However a spokesperson from town despatched native media a press release saying they’re assured they may defeat the newest lawsuit.
“After reviewing all proof associated to this site visitors cease, the Metropolis intends to make use of all its sources to strongly defend its officers and its division in court docket in opposition to these false and ridiculous accusations made by lawyer Jamir Davis,” the assertion reads.
“We’re assured we are going to win not solely within the court docket of legislation but additionally within the court docket of public opinion.”
Nonetheless, Davis, the lawyer representing Conner, is much more assured now that Ullrich’s historical past is being uncovered to the court docket of public opinion.
“The man is uncontrolled, and he must be stopped,” he mentioned.
