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Officer Pulls Over Woman And Realises It's Florida's State Attorney

Officer Pulls Over Woman And Realises It's Florida's State Attorney

He tries to recover himself

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

Have you ever said something, realised that what you said was bullshit, and then immediately tried to back track?

A pair of police officers have been caught red-handed (the irony), struggling to explain why they pulled over Florida's first and only black state attorney.

It comes after a series of high profile incidents - particularly the shootings of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and Michael Brown in 2014 - that have strained relationships between American police forces and the black community, giving rise to the Black Lives Matter campaign.

Aramis Ayala, who serves as state attorney in the Sunshine State's ninth judicial circuit, was pulled over on 19 June.

The body-cam footage below shows the officer heading towards the car, with the attorney grabbing her documents together before she hands them over.

Credit: Orlando Police Department

One officer goes around to the passenger side of the car, while the officer with the camera asks the driver which agency she works for - as her driving license indicates that she is a state official.

"I'm the state attorney," is the response.

It is then explained to her that her car was picked up as no result had been achieved when her vehicle tags (number plates) were checked.

"We run tags through all the time," he explains. "Whether it's a traffic light and that sort of stuff. That's how we figure out if cars are stolen and that sort of thing."

The digging then gets deeper. "Also, the windows are really dark," he says. "I don't have a tint measure but that's another reason for the stop."

Credit: Orlando Police Department

City of Orlando Police Department said that it allows the running of tags 'for official business only, and this is done routinely on patrol'.

In a statement, the department said: "In regards to the video, which was released by the Orlando Police Department last month, the officers stated the tag did not come back as registered to any vehicle.

"As you can see in the video, the window tint was dark, and officers would not have been able to tell who, or how many people, were in the vehicle."

Although no complaint was filed over the stop, Ayala gained her position by promising to bridge gaps with communities of colour.

Credit: Twitter

In a statement reported by the Independent, Ayala said her car had violated no laws and 'remains properly registered'.

She agreed that the officers were right to question her tinted windows in relation to Florida law, but commented that her windows were not illegal.

She added: "My goal is to have a constructive and mutually respectful relationship between law enforcement and the community.

"I look forward to sitting down to have an open dialogue with the chief of Orlando Police Department regarding how this incident impacts that goal."

Featured Image Credit: Orlando Police Department

Topics: Police, Florida, Orlando