CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Many months after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher Jasmine Horne first encountered Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers back in June, this week she and others who were involved in the incident got the opportunity to share their versions of what happened to members of the Citizens' Review Board.
In a 9-0 vote, the board unanimously voted in Horne's favor.
“I was really surprised about that because I was told most times with the Citizen’s Review Board maybe it won’t be in the other side's favor when you’re going against the police department," Horne said.
Horne said in the months since officers pulled a gun and wrongly detained her after she was mistaken for a suspect with a similar name, she's been hoping for an apology from police.
So far, she says that hasn't happened.
“I think that giving an apology would mean admitting a mistake and I think when it comes to law enforcement there is sense of authority they try to maintain and they don’t want to lose that," Horne said.
Now Horne is hoping CMPD might prioritize mental health to help create more compassion within officers. She also believes more training and education are needed too.
“I do think this will make the police officers more reluctant to pulling out their guns and picking up people off the street," Horne said.
In a release from CMPD in January 2022 the department stated:
"An external complaint for the misidentification and detention of Jasmine Horne was received by the CMPD. An internal investigation was conducted by the CMPD Internal Affairs Bureau. The actions of the officers that detained Jasmine Horne were found to be within policy of the CMPD as the officers were acting in good faith with the information that they were provided. There is an ongoing internal investigation to determine if any policies were violated in entering Jasmine Horne's name into the License Plate Reader system."
Friday, CMPD released a statement on social media standing by its earlier sentiments, saying the officers who detained Horne were acting within department policies and in good faith based on the information they had at the time.
Horne is represented by her attorney Darlene Harris who specializes in police misconduct and criminal defense. The next Citizen's Review Board hearing is set for May 12.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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