RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The treatment of 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario during a traffic stop in Windsor, Virginia, has captured national attention and prompted a $1 million dollar lawsuit. Now, Attorney General Mark Herring and the Office of Civil Rights are requesting numerous documents from the Windsor Police Department to investigate the tactics used against Nazario.
Nazario was pulled over by Windsor police officers Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker for allegedly not having a rear license plate visible on his Chevrolet Tahoe. The officers drew guns on Nazario and pepper-sprayed him. Body-cam footage of the incident released by Nazario’s attorneys has since gone viral.
Officer Gutierrez was let go by the Windsor police department on Sunday, April 11, months after the traffic stop occurred on Dec. 5, 2020.
Herring says the traffic stop is “deeply concerning” and that the officers acted in a “dangerous, unnecessary, unacceptable and avoidable.”
He has now requested documents directly relating to the traffic stop as well as years worth of information on officer training programs and policies used by the Windsor Police Department. Herring’s office also is asking the department for all complaints related to use of force, traffic stops and treatment on the basis of race from the last 10 years.
A release from Herring provides the full list of his requests:
- Any records or other documentation the Windsor Police Department has created regarding the incident that occurred between the officers and 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario on December 5, 2020
- Personnel records for the two WPD officers – Officer Joe Gutierrez and Officer Daniel Crocker – involved in the December 5, 2020 traffic stop
- WPD policies related to use of force
- WPD policies related to traffic stops
- WPD policies related to de-escalation and engaging with members of the public
- WPD training programs and/or materials for the last ten years related to any of the aforementioned policies
- Complaints received by the WPD related to use of force for the last 10 years
- Complaints received by the WPD related to traffic stops for the last 10 years, including, but not limited to stops where a person was detained
- Complaints received by the WPD for the last 10 years related to treatment on the basis of race, color, and/or national origin
Herring shared a tweet of the body cam footage on Saturday stating that his office was monitoring the situation and calling for full transparency.