Back in December 2024, Brandon Wilson was driving to his mother's house alongside his son, a five-year-old kid. Suddenly, Parma Police officers pulled him over. Wilson's plates were expired and his front windows were too dark. During the interaction, one police officer searched the pockets of the five-year-old, and recently surfaced footage has the family and community enraged.
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During the traffic stop, police instructed Brandon Wilson to exit the vehicle. With his hands up, police started searching him. His son also exited the vehicle and raised his hands too, in what can be interpreted as him imitating his father. At that moment, one of the officers started searching the five-year-old's pockets. He then asked the boy: "Dad didn't give you nothing, right?"
Wilson talked with WOIO about the traffic stop that turned into a very unusual search of his son's pockets. "My son right here and he's going in my son's pockets. I'm like, 'Y'all shouldn't touch him at all in the first place,' and then y'all search my car and there's nothing in there," Wilson said. At the moment of the child's search, he instructed him to lower his hands and stand with his uncle.
However, the child didn't move, visibly confused and shaken up by the situation. And, according to Wilson, his son appears to be traumatized by the incident. "He's reenacting it with his toys. That's not cool. They could have went about it a whole different way," Wilson said. "The officers didn't have to touch him, I don't care what y'all do to me." Wilson now wants Parma Police to start an internal investigation.
Parma Police Addresses The Incident
Following the incident, Parma Police issued statements about the incident. According to them, a K-9 officer assisted in the traffic stop. The dog alerted the officers of the passenger seat where the five-year-old was sitting.
"The interaction with the child was brief, professional, and focused on ensuring the child's welfare," reads an update on Facebook. "These controlled substances are not only illegal but can also be lethal, even in minuscule amounts."
According to the police department, the child's search was necessary as "the officer could not risk the safety of the child's life." Moreover, their search was justified by an "increasing prevalence of tragic incidents where children have been harmed or killed after accidentally coming into contact with dangerous substances." Due to this, the police department's review process determined that the officer acted "reasonably, professionally, and with the child's safety as a primary concern."
"Nevertheless, we understand the community's concerns and recognize the sensitive nature of the situation," the statement concludes. "We are committed to maintaining an open and transparent department - our body and dash camera program is just one example of that commitment."
