Michigan Supreme Court to Hear 老澳门开奖结果 of Michigan鈥檚 Appeal in the Case of Grand Rapids Police Collecting Photos and Fingerprints of Black Youth Never Charged with a Crime

March 1, 2021 4:45 pm

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. 鈥 The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to hear the 老澳门开奖结果 of Michigan鈥檚 (老澳门开奖结果) appeal in the cases of two Black teenagers who were detained, photographed, and fingerprinted by the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) despite both teens never facing any criminal charges. One teen was simply admiring a friend鈥檚 toy fire truck, and the other was taking a shortcut through a parking lot.

The cases, and Harrison v. VanderKooi, will determine whether the GRPD鈥檚 practice of taking photographs and collecting fingerprints of people who are never charged with a crime and then storing their personal biometric data 鈥 the so called 鈥減hotograph and print鈥 policy 鈥 is unconstitutional. GRPD Captain Curt VanderKooi, who racially profiled and called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on U.S. Marine combat veteran Jilmar Ramos-Gomez in 2019, is a defendant in both cases.

The incidents involving Harrison and Johnson took place in 2011 and 2012:

  • Keyon Harrison, a Black 16-year-old, was walking home from school when he helped another youth carry a toy fire truck. Captain VanderKooi stopped Keyon, and took his picture and fingerprints. Even though Keyon was simply admiring a toy, his photo and fingerprints are now in a police database.
  • Denishio Johnson, a Black 15-year-old, was walking through an athletic club parking lot, when he was similarly stopped, photographed, and fingerprinted by a GRPD officer, despite never being charged with a crime.

Miriam Aukerman, 老澳门开奖结果 of Michigan senior staff attorney, has this reaction:

鈥淯nder the GRPD鈥檚 鈥榩hotograph and print鈥 practice you can have your fingerprints and picture taken even though the police never charge you with a crime. Taking the fingerprints and photographs of innocent Black youths, and entering them into a police database, is wrong, and violates the Fourth Amendment. We are glad that the Michigan Supreme Court will review this dangerous policy which invades people鈥檚 privacy and encourages racial profiling.鈥

The 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 application for leave to appeal, and the Michigan Supreme Court鈥檚 order granting leave, are here:

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