A Cincinnati police sergeant improperly detained two women for nearly an hour during a 2024 confrontation on the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, according to findings by Cincinnati's Citizen Complaint Authority.
The authority discussed the case during its Aug. 3 meeting after conducting one of two investigations into Sgt. Jim Perkins' encounter with Brooklyn Davis and her passenger, Ayana Scherrer. A separate internal Cincinnati Police Department investigation found no wrongdoing by Perkins.
The Enquirer previously reported on cell phone video that captured Perkins shouting at the two women during the incident. At one point, Davis was pushed back into her car.
What led to the confrontation
On the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, both Perkins and the women accused each other of road rage.
Davis and Scherrer said Perkins sped around them in an unmarked vehicle as they were turning onto the bridge, nearly forcing them off the road. After Davis honked her horn, they said Perkins stopped his vehicle in front of them.
Perkins offered a different account. According to the Citizen Complaint Authority report, he said he pulled over after being honked at because he believed his trunk might have been open or there was another problem with his vehicle.
Police also argued the encounter was not a traffic stop and that Davis could have continued driving, the investigator said during the meeting.
According to the report, Perkins said he went around Davis because she appeared distracted at a traffic light and was slow to move. Davis, however, said her vehicle accelerated slowly because it lacked power.
Scherrer said Perkins stopped in the middle of the road.
The investigator said there is no definitive proof of whose version of events is accurate.
The complaint authority investigator said there was no definitive proof establishing whose version of events was correct.
The detention and the charges
As the confrontation on the bridge escalated, additional officers were called to the scene.
After those officers arrived, Davis and Scherrer were handcuffed and placed in the back of a police cruiser, where they remained for about an hour.
Video of the encounter showed Perkins initially telling the women they were going to jail. He also wanted to tow Davis's vehicle, which she was living out of at the time.
But after other officers arrived, Perkins appeared to reconsider what charges, if any, should be filed, according to the authority's investigation.
"Cooler heads arrived at the scene," a complaint authority investigator said. "The cooler heads prevailed."
Charges were ultimately filed against Davis and Scherrer. However, body camera footage captured Perkins telling another officer he did not believe the charges would result in a conviction.
"It's minor. We'll get rid of it," Perkins said in the body camera footage.
The case continued for months before the charges were eventually dismissed and expunged.
Complaint authority findings
The Citizen Complaint Authority found that Perkins should have had his body camera activated throughout the encounter. However, much of the report focuses on what is described as an "improper seizure" violation. They ruled that Davis and Scherrer were detained longer than necessary.
According to the report, part of the delay stemmed from Perkins' lack of familiarity with the required paperwork. Perkins told investigators he had not completed that type of paperwork in a long time. His current assignment with a crime analysis department doesn't typically involve traffic stops.
"By prolonging the detention due to ineptitude and after tasks should have reasonably been completed Sergeant Perkins improperly prolonging the seizure," the report states.
Attorney criticizes officer's conduct
Scherrer's attorney Max Londberg said he agreed with the authority's findings, but argued investigators may have been focused on the wrong aspects of the incident.
Speaking during the authority's meeting, Londberg said his client was mistreated.
"I believe the agency should have considered if discrimination fueled this," Londberg said. "Sgt. Perkins' treatment of these two women was inexcusable. No person should be pushed, cuffed, and threatened with six months of jail for honking a horn."
The Citizen Complaint Authority does not have the power to discipline police officers. Its findings and recommendations are forwarded to Cincinnati's city manager, who determines next steps.
Internal police investigation reached different conclusion
The Cincinnati Police Department also conducted an internal investigation into the situation.
According to that report, the investigator was unable to make contact with either Davis or Scherrer. After reviewing body camera footage and interviewing several of the officer on scene as well as Perkins, the department exonerated Perkins and determined he would face no formal discipline.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: After 'road rage' clash, watchdog says officer detained women too long
