BARTOW, Fla. — African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches across the Tampa Bay area are calling for justice after they say one of their leaders was racially profiled and harassed by a Bartow police officer.  

Pastor Don’Tavius Sanders of St. James AME Church stood beside fellow leaders as they spoke in his defense on Thursday.

Leaders say Pastor Sanders was driving from the church around 1:37 a.m. Sunday following a memorial service when Bartow police officer Darren Freeman pulled him over for a broken license plate light.

What You Need To Know

  • Pastor Don’tavius Sanders was pulled over by a Bartow police officer, who leaders say searched his vehicle without cause and called in a K-9 unit

  • AME church leaders from across the Tampa Bay area are calling for justice and demanding changes to the Bartow Police Department’s procedures.

  • Bartow Police Chief Stephen Walker acknowledged the situation could have been handled better, apologized to Pastor Sanders, and said he’s investigating the incident.

They say Freeman forcefully searched Sanders’ vehicle for narcotics without cause and called in a K-9 unit for backup. Nothing was found, and no citations were issued — leaving Marvin Zanders II, the presiding bishop of the 11th Episcopal District, with questions.

“What would precipitate in the mind of this officer that a K-9 unit is needed at this venue?” he said. “If you search my name, you see I have no outstanding warrants, no priors dealing with drugs, or any of those other things.”

Bartow Police Chief Stephen Walker agrees the incident could have been handled differently and believes communication played a role. He says Officer Freeman is new to the job and may have been scared at the time.

According to a police report, Freeman said he attempted to issue two citations for Sanders’ tag light and window tint, but the option to print the citations was unavailable on E-Cite. While the use of a K-9 unit during the traffic stop was permissible under the law, Chief Walker says he has since modified the department’s policy.

“To make it more stringent — that there has to be something articulable that you can say, that there’s a nexus to narcotics or paraphernalia, or the subject has it,” he said.

Walker says he is also investigating the incident between Officer Freeman and Pastor Sanders. He even spoke with Sanders after Thursday’s press conference to express his dedication to the case.

“I take it seriously. I want you to know that. And by all means, I apologize to you for how you were treated,” he said. “I do welcome you to the table.”

Pastor Sanders accepted Walker’s apology and invitation, but says he wants to see more.

“It’s going to take more than words for me. It’s going to take more than words, so I want to see it in action,” Sanders said.

He and other AME leaders are urging the chief to implement body and dash cameras. They’re also calling for better sensitivity and de-escalation training to ensure what happened to Pastor Sanders doesn’t happen again.

Chief Walker says he is looking into making body and dash cams a reality and plans to implement additional changes to the department’s policies.