Greenwood Police Officer Randy Powell, who was suspended after video contradicted his account of the April 7 arrest of activist Jelani Barr, will have a disciplinary hearing Tuesday.
The Greenwood Police Department has completed an internal investigation into the incident, during which Barr, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, was arrested while filming a traffic stop.
Police Chief Ray Moore and Mayor Carolyn McAdams declined to comment on the findings of the investigation but said a committee will determine Tuesday whether to discipline the officer.
If Powell is found to have falsified police reports or signed a faulty affidavit, he could potentially face criminal charges as well. Falsely reporting a crime is a misdemeanor, and knowingly signing a false affidavit can be considered perjury under state law. McAdams declined to comment on whether charges could be filed.
Barr, a 30-year-old Greenwood resident and frequent critic of police, was charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with police business while filming officers at the Triple Stop gas station at Bowie Lane and Carrollton Avenue as they searched a car.
Initial police accounts of the incident, including an affidavit signed by Powell, alleged that Barr had interfered with the stop, come dangerously close to officers and refused to comply with multiple requests to back away from the area.
Moore told the Commonwealth the next day that, according to police reports, Barr walked directly through the scene and “was told several times to back off, and he refused.”
A cellphone video shot by Barr and posted online contradicts that version of events. In the video, which shows him walking around the scene and briefly entering the store, Barr appears to comply with Powell’s order to leave the scene.
Powell can be seen in the video telling Barr, “I’m going to tell you one time to leave my scene. If you don’t, I’m going to arrest you.”
Barr at first replies that he’s going back in the store, but after the officer tells Barr again to leave, he appears to comply, walking away from the store as Powell and another officer follow. Powell then yells at Barr to come back and warns him, “If you run, I’m going to Tase you.”
“I’m walking off the scene,” Barr replies. “I ain’t running for nothing but lieutenant governor.”
The officer tells him, “Don’t worry about leaving” and threatens to use a Taser again before apparently handcuffing Barr as the video ends.
The Greenwood Police Department’s internal investigation also reviewed footage of the incident from cameras installed inside police cars. That footage has not been released to the public.
At Tuesday’s hearing — which will not be open to the public — a committee of city officials will consider a number of reports on the incident, McAdams said. The chief will make a recommendation to the mayor on what disciplinary action, if any, to take. McAdams said Powell would then have the right to appeal any decision to the city’s Civil Service Commission.
In an unrelated case, another Greenwood police officer, suspended for conduct off-duty, had a disciplinary hearing Thursday, Moore confirmed. The chief declined to identify the officer or comment further on allegations.
Barr, who ran for mayor of Greenwood in the 2013 Democratic primary, frequently records police officers going about their duty. His April 7 arrest was his second highly publicized brush with the law since declaring his candidacy. He was arrested by the Mississippi Highway Patrol following a stop for speeding in Holmes County in March during which Barr refused to step out of his vehicle.
At the time, Barr told The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson that a trooper refused to tell him why he was being pulled over and violated his rights — claims officials with the Mississippi Highway Patrol have denied.
Barr was charged with speeding (70 in a 55 mph zone), disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disobeying a law enforcement officer. Following that incident, Barr posted a lengthy cellphone video of the arrest — as well as his narrated version of the encounter — to YouTube.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
