White cops on horseback led a black man by rope in Texas. Their police chief apologized – By Joshua Bote (USA Today) / Aug 6 2019
A Texas police chief says two white officers on horseback used “poor judgment” when they led a black man by rope to a mounted patrol staging area on Saturday, an incident that prompted viral outrage on social media as photos circulated.
Galveston Police Chief Vernon L. Hale said in an apology that the department has changed their policy on the technique – which is sometimes used for crowd control – after the arrest of Donald Neely, 43.
Neely was arrested for criminal trespass, according to a statement issued by Galveston police. He was handcuffed, and a line was attached to his cuffs because a transportation unit was not available.
Critics say the image shows a demeaning treatment of a black man, drawing on a history of slavery and violence historically displayed toward black people in the United States.
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“It is hard to understand why these officers felt this young man required a leash, as he was handcuffed and walking between two mounted officers,” said Adrienne Bell, a candidate for Texas Senate in a Facebook post Sunday. “It is a scene that has invoked anger, disgust, and questions from the community.”
The two officers were identified as P. Brosch and A. Smith in the statement. Representatives for the Galveston Police Department did not immediately respond to request for comment by USA TODAY.
Police statements do not indicate the officers are facing disciplinary action.
“Although this is a trained technique and best practice in some scenarios, I believe our officers showed poor judgment in this instance and could have waited for a transport unit at the location of arrest,” Hale said in a statement. “My officers did not have any malicious intent at the time of the arrest.”
Galveston police “immediately changed the policy” to prevent use of the technique. Neely has been released on bond.
