Georgia sheriff's office accused of racially profiling HBCU women's lacrosse team
Delaware lacrosse team claims racial profiling by Georgia deputies
Members of the Delaware State Lacrosse team were recording as deputies in Liberty County, Georgia boarded their bus following a stop for a traffic violation. The deputies then proceeded to search the bus, they said, for narcotics using K9 deputies. The Dover-based school is exploring legal options believing the incident may have been racially motivated.
LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. - A Southeast Georgia sheriff's office is accused of profiling a college lacrosse team by searching their bus for drugs during a traffic stop.
The Liberty County Sheriff's Office searched the Delaware State University Women's Lacrosse Team's bus and luggage with K9s during an April 20 traffic stop on Interstate 95. A member of the team posted a video of the search on YouTube showing two deputies on the bus telling the team they would be searching their luggage.
"If there is something in there that is questionable, please tell me now because if we find it, guess what? We’re not gonna be able to help you," one deputy said. "Marijuana is still illegal in the state of Georgia."
Delaware State University President Tony Allen called the search "humiliating" in a letter and referenced a string of bomb threats to Historically Black College and University campuses in 2022 as hostility HBCU campuses and students continue to face.
"Our mission is a critical one and is as much a part of the American story as any," Allen said. "Again, I say, ‘We shall not be moved.’"
Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman said in a statement the traffic stop was a "commercial interdiction detail" and several other commercial vehicles were stopped that day. He said certain commercial vehicles are permitted to only drive in the right two lanes of the interstate, citing Georgia code.
"We realize that this current environment, even a traffic stop can be alarming to citizens, especially African Americans," he said. "This is why we make an effort to have a diverse department and hire people who believe in community policing and respect for all individuals."
Investigators found nothing illegal on the bus. Video posted by a team member shows deputies searching lacrosse players' luggage and belongings of all the student-athletes were searched by police and drug-sniffing dogs, according to a letter from the university's president.
Allen accused deputies of trying to "intimidate" players.
Note: Delaware State University shared a link to a YouTube video, publicshed by a team member, they say shows the search. FOX 5 Atlanta has shared the video below.
"To be clear, nothing illegal was discovered in this search, and all of our coaches and student-athletes comported themselves with dignity throughout a trying and humiliating process," Allen said.