Joseph Griffin was stopped last week by Volusia County deputies because they said he had matched the appearance of a man who was suspected in a burglary.
A Black jogger in Florida who cops say was wrongly detained for fitting the description of a burglary suspect in the area has now been offered a job by the sheriff.
Joseph Griffin was stopped last week by Volusia County deputies because they said he matched the appearance of a man who was suspected in a burglary. Griffin was wearing a white tank top and dark shorts as well as a beard which cops say matched the description of the suspect.
Griffin, a registered nurse, began streaming his detainment on Facebook Live, with police also recorded the incident on their body cameras, Griffin was heard asking questions as to what was going on and why him. Cops told him he was not under arrest but matched what dispatch had said.
“It’s just a lot going on today,” Griffin said, referring to the headlines of police shootings of unarmed Black Americans.
“We’re the same, you know me, I’mma take care of you,” the deputy says.
Following the incident, the sheriff offered Griffin a job.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Griffin would join the office for an implicit bias training session. The sheriff then added that Griffin, a former military police officer, could have a new job if he wanted.
“I told him we’d train and hire him as a deputy in a second if he ever wants a new job,” Chitwood wrote on Facebook. “I also just want to say again how proud I am of the deputies who handled this call. Granted, nothing like Facebook Live existed when I was starting out, but I don’t know if a young Mike Chitwood would have kept a live video running for somebody I was detaining.”
“These guys did it because in that moment, they understood what it meant to Mr. Griffin, who was going out of his way to be cooperative and respectful,” Chitwood added.
The suspect they were looking for was later arrested, according to reports.
RELATED STORIES
