Video of woman dancing on top of Detroit police cruiser creates buzz online - and questions
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Video of a woman using the top of a Detroit police vehicle as a dance floor has been making waves on social media - and some are questioning why officers did not arrest her.
Video of woman dancing on top of Detroit police cruiser raises questions
After a Facebook video by user Joshua Richardson spread online last weekend, some are wondering why the women dancing on top of a DPD cruiser was not arrested for disorderly conduct.
"What’s frustrating for me is to read that the officers didn’t do anything," Interim Detroit Police Chief James White said. "They did exactly what we are asking them to do, practice restraint."
White addressed the situation during a press conference Monday. Video of the incident was posted to Facebook over the weekend by the user account of Joshua Richardson.
Not only was there a woman on top of the car, but there was also another woman dancing in front of it.
All of it, according to White, happened at a party on the city’s east side with a few hundred people in attendance.
White says Detroit police's crowd management teams were there keeping an eye on things when a large crowd surrounded the SUV cruiser.
"Had they driven off with this young lady on the very top of the car dancing, had they drove off and she rolled off and was injured, then I would be asking the question, 'Was that the right decision to make?'" White said.
The chief says there were no easy answers in that situation. People we talked with were stunned.
"Totally unacceptable," said one woman.
"Because you can get away with anything in Detroit," said a man.
"I look at it like this," Kierra Wilson. "The cops are working to protect us but at the end of the day they had a good show."
Officers we talked with who wished to remain anonymous, were divided on the issue. Some say they would have found a way to go after the woman and arrest her for disorderly conduct and others said there was not much the officer could do in that situation.
"Based on the facts and the circumstances he was dealing with, with over 100 people surrounding his car, and choosing not to drive through the crowd with a person on the roof of the vehicle dancing, I think he’s officer of the quarter based on what I've seen," White said.
Police say they are investigating the incident to make sure the officer followed all department policies. During the press conference, White also spoke about mutual accountability, how officers have to exercise restraint and how the public has a responsibility to police themselves.