Footage of Florida’s only Black state attorney being pulled over by police has gone viral and sparked outrage online. But State Attorney Aramis Ayala says what she’d really like to do is sit down with the police and talk about it.
“My goal is to have a constructive and mutually respectful relationship between law enforcement and the community,” Ms Ayala said in a statement to The Independent after the footage was released.
She added: “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.”
Ms Ayala explained that she was on her way home from teaching at Florida A&M Law School on 19 June when she was pulled over by two Orlando Police officers.
The officers’ body cam footage, released following a public records request, shows the traffic stop ending quickly after Ms Ayala informs them that she is a state attorney.
One officer explains that he pulled her over after running her license plate and receiving no result.
Asked why he ran the tags in the first place, the officer responds: “We run tags through all the time, 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”.
He adds: “Also, the windows are really dark. I don't have a tint measurer, but that's another reason for the stop.”
While the video has sparked allegations of racial profiling, the Orlando Police maintain that the running of license plates is routine practise, allowed “for official business only”.
“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,” the department said. “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.”
Ms Ayala herself said the stop “appears to be consistent with Florida law,” but reiterated that she does not believe she violated any laws.
“The license plate, while confidential, was and remains properly registered,” she said.
“The tint was in no way a violation of Florida law.”
Ms Ayala was not ticketed for the stop, and police say no complaint has been filed. Contrary to social media reports, the State Attorney said she has not filed a lawsuit.
