A police department has revealed the full story after footage went viral which appeared to show an officer throwing a baggie into the back of a vehicle, leading to allegations that the cop was planting evidence. You can watch the viral video below, as well as the police body camera footage which shows what really happened:
The viral clip was posted yesterday (25 July) and was filmed after officers from the Caledonia Police Department pulled the car over for speeding.
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The video shows a police officer walk over to the rear door of the vehicle before tossing the corner of a plastic baggie onto the back seats.
A passenger can be heard asking immediately: "What's that? What did you just throw in here? I got you on camera, bro," to which the officer replied: "I got you on camera, we're all good."
After people incorrectly concluded the officer was planting evidence, the force issued their own body camera footage as well as a lengthy statement.
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Police said that they 'discourage officers from discarding items into a citizen's vehicle' but added that the clip makes it clear that the officer was not doing anything illegal.
Caledonia Police Department's footage goes on for some time longer and records a conversation between the pair, where viewers can hear the cop explaining what he's doing and why.
He says: "It was in his [another passenger] pocket and I don't want to hold on to it. It's on their body cam that they took it off him. I'm telling you where it came from."
In a statement on the Village of Caledonia Police Department's Facebook page, chief of police Christopher Botsch said: "On 07-21-21 at about 3:22pm, officers conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle traveling 63 mph in a 45 mph zone.
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"The vehicle was occupied by a driver along with front and rear passengers. The driver was identified by her driver's license. The front passenger lawfully declined to identify himself.
"The rear passengers were not wearing their seat-belts and were asked to identify themselves. The driver and rear passengers were later removed from the vehicle.
"A subsequent search of one of the rear passengers produced an empty corner tear (corner of a plastic baggie) from a passenger's pocket. The empty corner tear did NOT contain any illegal substance; however, this type of packaging is a common method for holding illegal drugs.
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"The empty corner tear was turned over by the searching officer to another officer who was on scene. That officer turned it over to the officer who is seen on video.
"Since there were NO DRUGS in the corner tear, the officers discarded the empty packaging material in the vehicle. This is what was observed in the video.
"The front seat passenger tells the officer that his actions are on video, and the officer replies that he is also recording the incident. The officer acknowledges to the front seat passenger that he (officer) put the item there and explains that it was taken from one of the passengers and the officer did not want to 'hold on to it.'
"Essentially, he appears to be discarding the empty baggie. While we would discourage officers from discarding items into a citizen's vehicle, the video is clear that the officer is NOT planting evidence or doing anything illegal.
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"Additionally, the empty corner tear is not itself illegal. No arrests were made as a result of this incident. The only arrest/citation arising from this incident was a speeding citation issued to the driver.
"While this is only a summary of the events, the origin of the empty corner tear and the circumstances under which it was placed in the vehicle are supported by body worn camera video."
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Village of Caledonia Police Department