CALEDONIA, Wis. — Caledonia Police Chief Christopher Botsch said he first saw the now viral video from a traffic stop last Wednesday around 10 a.m. Saturday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Video of a traffic stop was posted to social media Saturday by a passenger

  • That 16 second video shows an officer putting a baggie into the backseat, which the passenger claimed was the officer planting evidence

  • The Caledonia Police Department denied the accusation, saying the baggie was found on another passenger and was empty

  • Only a speeding ticket was issued during the traffic stop

“Immediately upon viewing it, it certainly looks bad, the video without any context, makes it look as though an officer is planting an item into a person’s car,” Botsch said. 

Botsch said that item was a baggie found during a search of one of the passengers who was riding in the back seat of the car officers pulled over. 

That can be seen and heard in the body cam footage from the officer. 

“For anyone to suggest or insinuate that the officer was planting evidence or planting things that would make them look guilty of a crime is absolutely not true,” Botsch said. "The officer was discarding an item that was not in and of itself illegal, because there was no controlled substance or illegal substance in it.”

The car was initially pulled over because the driver was going 63 in a 45, which is 18 miles an hour over the speed limit. 

The only ticket given was for speeding. 

Spectrum News 1’s Andrew Havranek asked Botsch if placing the baggie back into the car after a search was proper protocol for the officer to follow. Botsch said no. 

“That’s certainly not something that  we would want our officers to do, but it is also a far cry from him committing a crime or engaging in illegal activity,” Botsch said. 

The officer in question was initially placed on administrative leave. The internal investigation is still ongoing, but Botsch expects it to be done by the end of the week. 

He is thankful his department has body cams, something officers just got last summer. 

“I know that there’s people demanding accountability for law enforcement and we demand it from ourselves. That’s one of the reasons that we have body cams, and we encourage body cameras for other law enforcement agencies,” Botsch said. "Body worn cameras allow us to hold ourselves accountable, and to recognize when we have room for improvement, but they also protect us from false allegations. So, they are a very, very valuable tool.”

Botsch said the body cam footage will be released in full after the investigation is complete. 

Spectrum News 1 has reached out to the passenger who recorded and posted the initial video, but has not yet gotten a response.