LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When Louisville Metro Council members discussed funding for a new police training and wellness center in late April, councilman Jecorey Arthur made his position clear.
Arthur, D-4, was one of five "no" votes, and, in explaining his reasoning, told members of council that police already had health insurance and access to therapists. He said there were dozens of other city needs for that money.
But, more to the point, Arthur offered criticisms of the embattled department for failing to implement recommendations from multiple critical reports, including a history of officers wrongfully arresting and killing Black people, such as Breonna Taylor.
"The most leverage that we have for accountability is their spending," he said during the April 27 meeting. "It's their budget, and we are about to give that leverage away. ... I promise you this building will not change the culture of the police department."
And after listing some of these high-profile LMPD incidents, Arthur shared a personal experience: He claimed he was a victim of police misconduct Dec. 16, 2021, during his first year on council, following his "no" vote on a police contract.
"Officers followed me home that night, pulled me over, took me out of my car and threatened my life, saying to keep a round in the chamber of my gun at all times," Arthur said.
Arthur said he told the police chief at the time, Erika Shields, about the incident "and she did nothing." He said he also informed current interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel about the stop, and "she has done nothing."
"That's what these investments will change — absolutely nothing — and that's why I'm voting no," Arthur said.
But police body camera video of Arthur's traffic stop obtained through a public records request provides a different perspective. It shows Arthur volunteering to exit his vehicle and doesn't appear to show officers threatening him after stopping him for expired tags.
Arthur offered to get out of the car after telling police — in response to an officer's question — that he had a gun in the vehicle. And toward the end of the encounter, officers told him he should keep a bullet in the chamber for safety in case he is ever robbed or attacked.
Police said neither Shields nor Gwinn-Villaroel "found sufficient evidence that warranted a formal investigation into this traffic stop of Mr. Arthur," according to Sgt. Matthew Sanders, a spokesman for the department.
After agreeing to watch the body camera videos at WDRB News on Monday, Arthur maintained that he felt threatened and his life was in danger.
"When I saw those lights go off behind me, I thought I was about to be killed," he said, noting the many negative interactions with Black men and Louisville police over the years. "I assumed the worse. ... I'm just thinking of Breonna Taylor. I'm thinking of George Floyd."
And he pointed out that he has spoken about problems within LMPD several times both before and after joining the council. He said he mentioned the traffic stop during the council meeting because a recent scathing Department of Justice Report on LMPD said officers retaliated against people who spoke out against them.
"I'm thinking there's no way this is just a coincidence you're pulling me over the same night I just voted 'no' on that contract," Arthur said in an interview. "I believe this was 100% intentional. It was retaliation and it was political."
Body camera videos
Arthur was pulled over at Jefferson and 12th streets a little after 10:30 p.m. because his tags had expired in 2020, which Arthur acknowledged to Officer Ryan Strong, according to police body cam footage. He identified himself as a Metro Council member.
Asked if he had any drugs or weapons in the vehicle, Arthur said he "might have a firearm" under his seat, according to the body cam video.
WDRB asked police if it was against policy or unusual to ask someone pulled over for a minor traffic violation if they have a gun or drugs on them. Sanders said there is nothing in "police policy preventing officers from asking these questions during a routine traffic stop."
At that point, Arthur volunteered to get out of the vehicle so the officer could check for the weapon, according to the body cam videos.
"I appreciate your honesty with me, man," Strong said as Arthur exited his vehicle.
"No problem," Arthur responded.
As another patrol vehicle showed up, Strong told them Arthur might have a weapon. One of the newly arriving officers, Brandon Linton, asked Arthur if he was OK with them checking his vehicle.
"Yeah, that's fine," Arthur said.
Arthur said he was a Metro Council member and had no drugs in the car. He stood behind his car with the other two officers while Linton checked inside the vehicle.
Linton found the gun — there was no bullet in the chamber — and asked Arthur if it was registered in his name. Arthur said it was.
While Strong checked on the gun and whether Arthur had insurance on a database in his cruiser, Linton stood with Arthur and asked if he was having a good night.
"I was," Arthur responded solemnly.
"Hopefully, this isn't a bad experience," Linton said, adding that the possession of a weapon complicates a typical traffic stop but "we're just trying to make sure everybody is safe.
"But if nothing comes back, you'll get back your gun, get back in your car and we'll be out of your hair."
Linton noted that Arthur was dressed up and asked where he was coming from. Arthur told the officer he had a council meeting and then went to dinner.
"Nice," Linton responded before asking if Arthur was heading home.
Linton and the other officer made small talk about having children and Arthur being a teacher. Arthur mostly stayed quiet, quickly answering questions with short answers but mostly looking down without expression.
"You excited for Christmas?" Linton asks Arthur at one point.
"I don't celebrate Christmas," Arthur responds.
A few minutes later, Linton walked to Strong's cruiser to see how the officer was doing.
Arthur's girlfriend then showed up at the scene, and Linton told her why he was stopped, that his tags were over a year expired. She appeared to give him a look and laugh.
Arthur's body language changed when his girlfriend arrived and he appeared to relax more. He told WDRB he felt "relief" when she showed up "because at least there was another person there."
In fact, he smiled when police told his girlfriend why he we pulled over.
"I was wondering how long it would take you all to find out," Arthur said of the expired tags, and the group laughed.
"You all going to lock me up?" Arthur asked in a serious tone.
"No, no," Linton said. "... No good reason to lock you up."
Arthur's girlfriend told him, while smiling, that "this is a wonderful birthday present, honey."
"It could be worse," he replied.
Linton told Arthur he appreciates him telling officers he had a firearm in the vehicle and offered "a word of advice."
"If you are going to have one, keep one in the chamber, man," Linton said. "I noticed when I took the magazine out there was nothing in there. Keep one in there. Why take that extra second to put one up there?"
The third officer, Lucero Vasquez-Rosario, noted that it is good safety advice in case something happens, like a carjacking.
And Linton pointed out a legal gun owner would not get in trouble for having a bullet in the chamber.
"For your safety, it takes a little less time if something crazy happens to you," Linton said.
Arthur was written a ticket for having expired registration, but Strong told him it would likely be dismissed if he just paid for the tags before his court hearing.
"I appreciate your cooperation," Strong told him.
On March 21, 2022, the citation was dismissed after Arthur showed proof he had paid for his registration, according to court records.
Strong asked Arthur to pop his trunk to store the gun, and Arthur jokingly said not to judge him as the trunk was full of stuff.
"Trust me, we've seen worse," Strong responded as Linton, Arthur and his girlfriend laughed.
"You got kids, we get it," Linton said.
"You have a great night, OK?" Strong said as he leaves.
"Thank you so much," Arthur said. "Peace."
Arthur maintains he told truth
After watching the body camera videos Monday, Arthur wouldn't say he exaggerated or was untruthful about any aspects of the stop, in essence arguing it was more of a matter of context and through whose point of view the stop is viewed.
"What I said during the council meeting absolutely still holds true," he said, noting, in part, that what police said on their radios leading up to the stop is not on the body cams. "You gotta take the perspective" of the person stopped by police.
As for saying he was taken from his vehicle, Arthur said he only got out of his car because he was stopped by police.
"I didn't get out of my car randomly," he said. "I didn't pull over to the side of the road and get out of my car. I got out of my car because the officers wanted me to, because they pulled me over, because of that situation."
Arthur said the 20-minute interaction felt like 20 hours to him.
"The whole thing felt like it was in slow motion," he said.
Also, he thought it was unusual for officers to tell him to keep a chamber in his gun, asking a WDRB reporter how often he thought police tell people that. He said he took it as a threat.
"If they felt threatened with me just having a firearm, a round in the chamber is going to be even more of a threat," he said.
Arthur said Shields told him it was "stupid" that police pulled him over for expired tags just hours after he voted against a police contract. Shields could not be reached for comment.
"I do not believe this traffic stop would have occurred if I had voted differently that night," he said in an interview. "This isn't a coincidence. Hopefully, they prove me wrong, and I can have a little bit more of a positive perspective about this experience."
When asked what these specific officers did wrong that night, given that their actions were relayed as a negative example of police to his Metro Council colleagues, Arthur said: "It's not really about them as individuals. It's about them as collective," the LMPD shield and the issues the department has had over several years.
"There's no way that anyone will understand the feeling that a Black person gets when they are pulled over by police," he said. "... I have anxiety just watching this. I really thought something was going to happen to me."
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