DARIEN – A Bridgeport resident started an online petition Thursday asking the Darien Police Department to apologize to a city man they say was the target of racial profiling, according to News 12.
The petition states that Matthew McGee, 33, was riding his bike to the Darien business where he works when police pulled him over on Sunday. McGee recorded the encounter with an iPhone and posted it on YouTube where it has since gotten almost 40,000 views by Friday afternoon.
News 12 said community activist Wayne Winston started the online petition asking that Darien police apologize to McGee and give officers “extra sensitivity training.”
FOX 61 has reached out to Darien police for comment. Chief Duane Lovello said:
Mr. McGee was contacted by a Darien police officer during a routine canvass of a residential area in response to a burglary reported shortly before. Mr. McGee was contacted to ascertain if he had observed anything that might have been useful to the investigation. As a matter of normal practice, officers would attempt to contact anyone in the area within the time frame of the incident regardless of skin color. I have reviewed the videos posted by Mr. McGee and observed nothing other than a courteous and professional interaction between a Darien police officer and a gentleman on a bicycle.
You can read more about the video here.
