The United States Department of Justice has reached an agreement with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office to settle a racial discrimination complaint related to deputies stopping a bus of mostly Black athletes from Delaware State University last year.
Under the agreement, the sheriff’s office will “review its bias-free policing policies, make necessary updates to its policies on traffic enforcement and searches, and develop and implement data collection procedures, among other provisions,” according to a press release from DOJ.
DSU brought the complaint after deputies stopped a bus carrying the women’s lacrosse team. The bus was motoring along Interstate 95 through Liberty County on April 20, 2022 after playing at Stetson University the previous night in DeLand, Florida. Deputies pulled over the bus for traveling improperly in the left lane. Deputies subsequently searched luggage stored in the compartment under the bus after a K9 officer “alerted” on the bus, but found no contraband.
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According to the press release, DSU alleged that the stop, questioning and search was unlawful racial discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prevents organizations that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race. The sheriff’s office receives federal funds from DOJ, according to the release.
“The students and staff at Delaware State University deserve policing that is racially equitable and bias-free,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division was quoted as saying in the press release. “The agreement that we have secured with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office will help ensure that its policing practices are free from racial bias and discrimination going forward.”
At the time of the stop, Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman, who is the first Black sheriff of the county, defended the deputies while acknowledging things could have been done better.
“Delaware State University continues to stand in solidarity with our players,” Carlos Holmes, director of news services for DSU, told the Savannah Morning News on Monday. “… We hope that the U.S. Department of Justice will closely monitor and evaluate the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office compliance with the terms of the agreement and if necessary re-open its investigation if the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office fails to meet its obligations.”
The Savannah Morning News and USA TODAY Network subsequently reported on the mixed histories of the deputies involved the stop and some of the prior complaints brought against the department.
