WAUKESHA — A Milwaukee barber filed a federal lawsuit against Waukesha police officers on Thursday after body camera footage showed what he describes as racial profiling during a traffic stop.
Jessie Watkins says officers detained and searched him without probable cause after finding him parked in a no-parking zone.
"It just felt like it was racial," Watkins said. "I don't care what they say. I felt it. I felt degraded, I felt humiliated, I just felt like officers of all people shouldn't behave that way."
As a well-known barber, Watkins says he always carries two phones.
"I have almost 400 regular clients," Watkins said. “I didn't want my business life to conflict with my personal life, so I went and got a second phone."
As a former truck driver, Watkins says he's particularly conscious about not texting while driving, which is why he pulled over. Watkins never thought those two decisions would be considered suspicious until Waukesha police officers approached him on April 17.
Watch: Milwaukee barber alleges racial profiling in federal lawsuit against Waukesha police
"He's got two phones,” an officer said. "How come you've got so many phones?"
Body camera footage shows officers approaching Watkins and questioning him about the multiple phones he had. Without further explanation, officers asked him to exit the vehicle and immediately escorted him away.
"What is suspicious about what {I am} doing?" Watkins can be heard asking in the footage.
"You're parked in a known drug-dealing area. It's a third-party vehicle, you have two phones, you're smoking," an officer responded.
"A known drug-dealing area?" Watkins questioned.
The officers proceeded to pat Watkins down, search his pockets, and place him in handcuffs.
"Being detained for what? For being Black? For being Black in Waukesha?" Watkins asked during the encounter.
When Watkins explained he had pulled over to avoid texting while driving, an officer responded skeptically.
"If you think I'm really going to buy that you're pulling over to text, does this look like my first day?” the officer said.
“Look at my phone then,” Watkins replied.
“Nobody does that, dude," the officer said.
Body camera video shows Watkins remained in handcuffs for 30 minutes while officers called a Waukesha County Sheriff's Office K-9 to sniff his car for drugs. They found a THC vape, but after realizing he had no drugs to sell, they released him without any citations.
"I know I was [racially profiled]," Watkins said. "This all escalated because they knew I was Black. How they talked to me, how they treated me, you could feel the racial tension."
Watkins' lawsuit accuses the two officers involved of violating his civil rights, specifically alleging he was unreasonably searched and seized “because Watkins is a black man."
The lawsuit states: "At the time that Officer Roth decided to search Watkins' person, Officers Roth and Clark knew that they could not search Watkins' person because they lacked probable cause that Watkins had committed any crime."
William Sulton, Watkins' civil rights attorney, says the officers' search of the car was also unlawful.
"To me, it was a case study in what not to do during a traffic stop," Sulton said.
The Waukesha Police Department declined our interview request but provided a statement that reads in part: "During the encounter, the occupant of the vehicle raised concerns about potential bias in the stop. The department takes all such concerns seriously. It's important to clarify that the officer could not see inside the vehicle or determine the identity or demographics of the occupant prior to making contact."
Sulton challenged this explanation: "They knew Mr. Watkins was Black when they made contact with him. They could see him at that point. If you see a car that's parked on a street and you'd like that car to move, it is normal for police to say, 'Hey, we'd like you to move your car.' It is not normal for police to say get out of the car, let me get your license, let me run your name, let me put you in handcuffs, let me search you. That is not normal. That's part of an investigation pursuant to an arrest. You would expect that if they actually had probable cause to arrest and they didn't here."
Waukesha Police Department’s full statement:
The facts of this case, a uniformed officer observed an illegally parked vehicle in a clearly marked no parking zone during the overnight hours. Due to the vehicle’s heavily tinted windows and its location, the officer made consensual contact with the vehicle to investigate the circumstances. Heavily tinted windows can prevent officers from seeing inside the vehicle, which can pose safety concerns, especially during nighttime hours. As such we are unable to identify if anyone is in the vehicle. The officer approached the vehicle to make contact with the occupant and determine if any assistance was needed or if any violations were occurring.
During the encounter, the occupant of the vehicle raised concerns about potential bias in the stop. The department takes all such concerns seriously. However, it’s important to clarify that the officer could not see inside the vehicle or determine the identity or demographics of the occupant prior to making contact. The decision to engage in dialogue with the operator of the vehicle was based solely on the vehicle being in violation of a posted no parking zone and the safety concerns associated with being unable to see into the vehicle due to its excessive tint.
We recognize the importance of maintaining public trust and are committed to fair, unbiased policing. All interactions are subject to review to ensure they align with department policy and professional standards. In this case, the officer acted within those standards and handled the situation professionally.
We welcome continued dialogue with our community and remain focused on promoting safety, respect, and accountability in all encounters.
This story was reported by Lighthouse journalist Ben Jordan and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
