A Filipino woman pulled over in Alaska by police showed a 'white privilege' card instead of her licence. Lucky for her, the officers found it hilarious and let her off without a ticket.
The woman, Mimi Israelah, was pulled over for weaving in the early hours of the morning on 9 July after returning from California, where she attended a rally for former president Donald Trump.
However, while fumbling for her licence she spotted her 'white privilege' card in her wallet and showed it to the two police officers.
Israelah handed the novelty card – which reads 'White Privilege Card Trumps Everything' – to one of the officers and asked if it was okay. Instead of dismissing the card, the officers reportedly found it funny instead.
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Writing on Facebook, Israelah said: "He laughed and called his partner. It’s their first time to see a White Privileged [sic] card."
In a video she shared to Twitter, one of the officers can be heard calling the card 'hilarious'. It was so funny that the officers then allowed Israelah to continue her journey without giving her ticket for the traffic violation.
However, now the local police department has now spoken out and said the two officers violated department policy when they let her go without a citation, according to reported from the Anchorage Daily News.
Anchorage Police Deputy Chief Sean Case said many people felt the interaction was inappropriate. He commented: "We recognise that."
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One person who has questioned the police behaviour and the action is Celeste Hodge Growden, president of the Alaska Black Caucus. She asked whether the officers chose not to give a ticket due to the novelty card: "Is it because the white privilege card was effective?"
As a result of the incident officers Nicholas Bowe and Charles Worland have both been on administrative leave while Anchorage Police investigated the incident.
The internal investigation determined that the two officers violated department policy, but police wouldn’t say which policy was violated and if the officers face any repercussions.
"The investigation regarding the incident is completed and is a part of confidential personnel files that will not be released publicly," an Anchorage Police Department spokesperson said.
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Anchorage municipal code requires that all drivers carry their licence at all times when driving, and Israelah should have been ticketed for being unable to produce hers. However, police spokesperson Sunny Guerin has since said police can do a computer check to determine if a person has a valid driver’s license.
Additionally, Police Sgt. Jeremy Conkling, president of the police union, said officers have their own discretion and generally don’t write citations for minor offences, like not having a physical license present.
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Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Police