Viral Video: UPD Chief Says to Watch Full Video
By: Jennifer Lee
Updated: January 3, 2012
The video is a shorter, more efficient perspective.
A YouTube video involving the Utica Police Department has gone viral and people are looking for answers.
It was first reported on the Utica Phoenix, a video titled "Utica Police Officers Caught on Tape" shows a 1:40 video clip of what some say appears to be a Utica police officer planting baggies possibly filled with drugs in a vehicle they pulled over for running a stop sign.
But, police Chief Mark Williams says the YouTube clip is only a small snippet of what really went down in the 26 plus minute video.
What people are seeing in the YouTube clip is the officer reaching for his back pocket and then placing what appears to be baggies filled with drugs it into the vehicle.
But, while looking through the entire video, the "baggies" in the officer's pocket appears to be evidence recovered from one of the two suspects during the pat-down.
Chief Williams says what is being portrayed in the small snippet on YouTube is not a full representation of what took place.
He says the officer was sorting the drug evidence in the vehicle.
"That one snippet... he has criminal defendants outside the vehicle and he is recovering drug evidence from each person. There is no reason to plant evidence when he already has recovered evidence on video. He has drug evidence from both defendants. What he is basically doing is taking the drug evidence from his pocket and he is organizing the drug evidence in the vehicle of what drug evidence belongs to what defendant," explained Chief Williams.
The two suspects were charged with criminal possession of a substance. Chief Williams says the officers found marijuana and zip lock baggies of crack residue under both seats of the vehicle.
Chief Williams says the have been investigating this incident for over a month now. He says the UPD is in contact with the FBI and will share their full report with them.
