Offensive Patrol Car Recording Released
Wesley Powell resigned after authorities say he used profanity, sexual comments and racial slurs during a cell phone conversation that was recorded by video equipment in his patrol car.
Wesley Powell resigned after authorities say he used profanity, sexual comments and racial slurs during a cell phone conversation that was recorded by video equipment in his patrol car.
Renita Crawford
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By Renita Crawford
Published: October 2, 2008
(Augusta) - On July second Deputy Wesley Powell made a traffic stop. It’ was recorded by the dash cam in the patrol car and investigators say the stop is handled perfectly and by the book. However, seconds after Powell gets back in his patrol car things take a turn.
According to a disciplinary report Powell leaves the camera on and the microphone inside the vehicle is still on when he gets a call on his cell phone. Powell’s side of the conversation is recorded.
Here he describes a traffic stop he made involving an African American woman.
Powell: “I got this girl the other day. She had a d*** little n***** in the backseat. This thing wasn’t even old enough to crawl yet. I know she didn’t have seatbelt on neither. I was going to give her a verbal warning you know, strap that monkey in the backseat. You got a booster seat back there, put that monkey in the booster seat.
On the tape Powell uses profanity, racial slurs and makes sexual comments.
Powell: “Not only am I going to sexually assault her. I’m going f*** her with the d*** barrel of my d*** glock.”
The conversation was discovered on September 16th by the solicitor’s office when the DVD was being played by a defense attorney looking for a traffic stop made that day. The DVD was then brought to the attention of the Sheriff’s office and then to Internal affairs.
The entire conversation lasts 15 minutes.
Powell: “If you hadn’t been out here running your ignorant a** Mouth you’d been on your way to wherever the f*** you’re going to buy your crack, have another baby by an illegitimate father or some other kind of sh**.”
In 2003 Powell had been disciplined for making a racist statement to an inmate. He was suspended for a day.
The 30-year-old resigned before Internal Affairs could take the recording to a review board.
Powell: “How you doing a**hole. How much of a fine do ya’ll want today?”
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( mfain34 ) on October 14, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! I am a white policeofficer and my wife is a beautiful black woman. My baby is a beautiful little black girls and I love her more than my own life. People who don’t know the love of God are unable to love people. Their hearts are hard and full of poison. This officer will reap the whirl wind from inside. I pray for his soul to be delivered from death into life but surely death will come if his heart condition dosen’t change! Friends there is a awsome, great and powerful God that will judge the hearts of men! Lets all watch out for our own hearts and make sure that such foolishness finds no place there!!
Prophet Daniel
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Posted by ( dorisc ) on October 09, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Do I think Wesley Powell should have resigned for his inappropriate comments, racial slurs, sexual comments, and his vile uses profanity? I say no he should not have resigned nor had the opportunity to resign. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED ON THE SPOT! Immediately after the tape was viewed he should have been called into Sheriff Strength’s office shown the tape and shown the door, and told that type of behavior would not be tolerated! Instead, he was pacified and given the opportunity to “Resign”! Why! The tape does not lie! It is what it is! Moreover, so is Wesley Powell! He should never have been working in the Sheriff’s office in the first place with that kind of attitude, and I am sure that is not the first time he has displayed that type of behavior.
If the Sheriff cannot wean out these types of officers in his department maybe he should not be the Sheriff. On the other hand, maybe he is just like the officer’s he’s protecting. Shouldn’t he be protecting the citizens of Augusta? Wesley Powell was talking to someone on that cell phone, who was that? Was it another officer perhaps? Is that officer just like Wesley Powell with the same thought process? Is he also a racist? Did anyone check the cell phone records from the date of the incident?
I was surprised the see Sheriff Strength running unopposed this year, why is that? Is it because of the great job he has done in running the Augusta Richmond County Sheriff’s Department? I think not! I think I will throw my hat in the ring for Mayor of Augusta next term and wake up this city, and let the good old boys know change is coming! Hear me now Mayor; my faxes may have gone unanswered but the people of Augusta are tired and they want change! And change is coming!
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Posted by ( classylady ) on October 05, 2008 at 7:17 am
Good morning fiveOfuzz. I appreciate your responses. It is obvious that you are a caring officer and peace maker. Unfortunately, I have experienced racism in my lifetime and I am relatively young. What is interesting is that it happened when we moved to GA from NC. Don’t get me wrong, I know that everyone may not be racist but we all have some form of prejudice attitudes based on our experiences. I know that there are a lot of people who are profiled from what they drive to where to live and work. Most forms of racism is covert. You don’t see it because people are too cowardly to really express the way they feel. I know there is racism and prejudice attitudes in your department without a doubt. They are everywhere. Good for you if you don’t harbor these attitudes. All peolpe want is to be treated fairly and like a human being. My prayer is that this incident will bring light to this situation in a way that it will not be forgotten or put in a bottle somewhere as if it didn’t occur. People tend to not worry about things that don’t affect them. Racism affects everyone. Thanks for your prayer’s, we just don’t want to be preyed upon.
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Posted by ( fiveofuzz ) on October 05, 2008 at 4:18 am
I do not see racism on the department because black and white officers back each other up on violent calls every day. If there are other racist officers, they are keeping it hidden from the rest of us. Obviously Deputy Powell was talking to someone on the phone, but I would never know who. Unfortunately being a racist is not against the law, however law enforcement is ABSOLUTELY the wrong place for a racist. If one of us is found to be a racist or breaking the law, I agree, no I demand that they are fired and if the law is broken, prosecuted. We should be held to a higher standard. I do know that most officers on the RCSD are good people and really wish to help. It is a shame that this idiot, Deputy Powell, gives the whole department a black eye. I prey for Deputy Powell and I hope GOD will open his eyes. I promise you this, he will no longer serve as a law enforcement officer. Remember what Jesus would do in this situation. Love all, forgive all, and prey for all. I will prey for you ladylove and classylady, that you do not have to deal with this kind of racism. I prey that we as the human race, can live and love together as one, not divided along race lines.
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Posted by ( lee64 ) on October 04, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I to agree with the white officier fiveofuzz. One persons bad judgement should not be put off on other officers of the same race because all white officers are not that way. And i am a african american women and I know this from personal experience and people need to understand the color of your skin dosn’t make one better than the other because in my eyes we are all the same. And in GODS eyes we sre all the same and at the end of the day that is what counts.
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Posted by ( classylady ) on October 04, 2008 at 7:38 pm
This comment is to five0fuzz. I understand too well what you are saying. This is what minorities have gone through all of our lives. It is interesting that you quote MLK in saying judge you not by the color of your skin. I completely agree with you. Too bad that is not the case in today’s society. I wish that racism was a thing of the past but it is not. It is here to stay as long as there are people on earth. We may tolerate each other but deep down we don’t trust each other. I still stand by what I wrote before and I hope that the entire department is put under investigation. Most times these views and attitudes trickle down from the top. I thank those of you who put your lives on the line everyday for those of us who try to follow the law.
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Posted by ( fiveofuzz ) on October 04, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I am a white richmond county deputy and I think the actions of this deputy are repulsive. However, the actions of one man does not make all white men racist or bad. If one black man breaks the law, does that make all black men criminals? NO. This is the type of thinking that whites and blacks need to put behind us. There will always be whites and blacks that are racist, so lets condem those people individually, not as a group. It is not fair to group me, a white deputy, in with the likes of Deputy Powell. That is stereotyping and is wrong, no matter how you look at it. I treat everyone, black or white, with respect and dignitiy. Hold your judgement of me, as a white man, on how I treat you as a person and not on my skin color. I put my life on the line every day for whites, blacks and everything in between because I wish to protect and fight for those that can not fight for themselves. I am asking for our community to think of all the good Richmond County Deputies do every single day that gets over looked and not rush to judgement because of Wesley Powell,a bad apple that slipped through the cracks. Thanks for taking the time to read my comment, I love you all.
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Posted by ( cutebynature55@yahoo.com ) on October 04, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I wonder how many other Wesley Powell’s are employed by the Richmond County Sheriff’s department. I would venture to say that the other deputy who called Deputy Powell on his cell phone is cut from the same cloth as Powell.
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Posted by ( preacher742002 ) on October 04, 2008 at 11:39 am
i want to say that mr powell should
get what was coming to him cause god
dont like ugly when you mistreat a person in public like and also i want to
say that it time for sheriff streghth
to fired him that was not called for
i want to ask that if you see a black
and white couple you wasn’t not surpose
to stop and question that there business
i think we really look at the time here
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Posted by ( preacher742002 ) on October 04, 2008 at 11:22 am
hey
i think it time for ronnie strength
to fired that deputy and he should fired
him out pay and also i want to say that
african american people are not monkeys
and they shouldn’t not be call n and monkey im saying as blackman here and i
i shouldn’think that african american should not be harrass by these deputy
if they walking downtown or anywhere here in augusta ga i think we have the
rights like everyone go where we are free to go here in augusta and also we
really don’t think we shouldn’t go to
racism again let stop this foolish stuff here let the freedom ring again
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