The UNC Police Department charged an Orange County resident, who is not affiliated with the university, for drug possession and resisting arrest on Monday night.

Public safety officials shared a statement on Wednesday afternoon confirming the incident to the campus community, saying UNC Police officers responded to a complaint of drug use near the entrance to the Undergraduate Library. Upon arrival, police say 26-year-old Darius Allen was using drugs and initially resisted arrest by the officers. Allen was charged with marijuana possession and resisting arrest before being referred to the Orange County Detention Center.

The incident earned reaction on social media Tuesday after The Daily Tar Heel reported a video of the incident showed an officer knelt on Allen’s back during detainment. The mentioned video has not been published publicly by the student newspaper. On Wednesday, UNC Police Chief Brian James said in a letter to campus that he’s conducted an initial review of arrest footage, which is protocol for the department, and that the responding officers broke no departmental policies. A spokesperson for the UNC Police later confirmed the reviewed arrest footage is from body cameras of the responding officers.

The UNC Police Department’s protocols for use of force state officers “must consider the proportionality of the use of force that is necessary to effectively bring an incident under control, while protecting the lives and safety of everyone involved in the incident.” The protocols also say the department follows outlines set by state laws when it comes to use of force, meaning a law enforcement officer is “authorized to use non-deadly force upon another person when the force is, or reasonably believes to be necessary.”

UNC Police’s use of force policies, which originated in March 2020 before becoming effective in their current form in September 2020, do not have any explicit bans against kneeling on arrest subjects. Wednesday’s statement did not indicate whether officers did use force while detaining Allen on Monday.

James and UNC’s Vice Chancellor of Institutional Integrity and Risk Management George Battle also wrote to inform campus community members of a sexual assault reported on October 22. As stated in a prior Alert Carolina message, an unidentified male followed a UNC student to their room in Carmichael Residence Hall before assaulting them and fleeing the scene. Wednesday’s letter said police are continuing to investigate the incident, with other Carmichael Hall residents receiving communication, resources and safety tips from Carolina Housing.

James and Battle said anyone with more information on either Monday’s drug possession arrest or Saturday’s sexual assault is encouraged to contact campus authorities. The pair’s letter said to call UNC Police by calling 911 in an emergency or 919-962-8100 for non-emergency assistance. Those who wish to remain anonymous can also use the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC CrimeStoppers hotline at 919-942-7515.

 

Photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.


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