Traffic Stop in Wilmington, North Carolina, Leads to Internal Investigation

The full story

On February 26, 2017, a driver was pulled over by a sergeant from the Wilmington Police Department and a deputy from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. During the stop, the sergeant and the deputy claimed there was a law prohibiting the driver from recording the encounter. The driver refused to stop recording. The officers then brought a K-9 unit to the scene, claiming the dog alerted on the vehicle, and conducted a search that resulted in no illegal items being found. Following the incident, the Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that recording police officers in public is legal. An internal investigation was launched regarding the sergeant's conduct. He was initially demoted to the rank of corporal, but the city's Civil Service Commission later overturned this decision, restoring his rank and pay. The day after his reinstatement in 2018, the sergeant separated from the Wilmington Police Department. The deputy involved in the stop was counseled by the Sheriff’s Office. In an unrelated matter occurring years later, the driver was charged with "four felony counts of promotion and profiting from prostitution", according to New Hanover County.