Following an internal investigation, an officer with the Cumming Police Department, who had been accused of racially profiling a woman and placing her in handcuffs, has been cleared of wrongdoing.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution cited a 76-page report issued after an internal affairs investigation into the actions of Officer Jonathan Fitzpatrick during a Nov. 15 incident.
Officers went to the shopping center around 6 p.m. after they received reports about a hit-and-run incident involving possible injuries. Witnesses told officers they saw three black men with dreadlocks run from the scene. Two were arrested, but a third remained at large.
According to the article, Harris, who is black, was returning to her vehicle as the investigation was underway.
Officer Fitzpatrick approached her in the parking lot, thinking she was the suspect and asked to see her driver's license. When she refused, Harris was handcuffed.
The report said Fitzpatrick realized after speaking with Harris that she was a woman but was unsure of the sex of the suspect in question.
After police talked with employees of Best Buy and found receipts from the store in Harris' possession, they released her; her release came about 30-40 minutes after she was detained, according to the newspaper.
In her formal complaint, Harris accused of Fitzpatrick of racial profiling and unlawfully detaining her.
The report found that the officer did not violate Harris' civil or constitutional rights; he will not be disciplined in the incident.
