Lawsuit filed against police

Keith Paul

Tuesday, July 17, 2001 | 11:02 a.m.

A Las Vegas man is accusing Metro Police of arresting him simply because he is black, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

Julian Reinhardt, who is black, was arrested after the bank he was visiting as a customer was robbed.

"I felt like they singled me out of the crowd," said Reinhardt as he stood outside of U.S. District Court. He said he was the only black customer in the bank.

Reinhardt, 30, was a customer in the US Bank branch at 4320 E. Tropicana Ave. Nov. 27 when two black men rushed in with guns and held up the bank. When police arrived, Reinhardt said, he was shaken as a result of the robbery and wanted to leave, said Robert Langford, Reinhardt's attorney.

Reinhardt told officers he wanted to go home, but, "without probable cause and without reasonable suspicion to believe that (Reinhardt) had committed a crime, and based solely on (his) African-American ethnicity" searched, handcuffed and arrested him on obstruction of a police officer charge, according to the lawsuit.

Reinhardt was then placed in a police van to be taken to the Clark County jail, but he remained in the back of the moving vehicle for five hours before being taken to the jail, the lawsuit states.

Metro spokesman Lt. Marc Joseph declined to comment, saying department policy prohibits discussing pending lawsuits.

But political and civic leaders who joined Reinhardt Monday claimed there is a pattern of racial profiling involving minorities.

"I believe the police department needs to be educated on this issue," said state Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas. "I think it is wrong for anyone to be picked up without any articulative suspicion."

Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, who authored a bill that mandates Metro and other police agencies in the state track the ethnicity of drivers stopped by police, said minorities know profiling is a reality. Williams' bill, Assembly Bill 500, was signed by Gov. Kenny Guinn this legislative session.

"I hope it wakes up the police departments in Nevada that this can no longer exist," he said.

Metro Police said it is creating a policy to institute Williams' law into practice for traffic stops.

Civil rights activist James Tate said if Metro Police says it doesn't use racial profiling, "that's clearly a lie."

Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said the police had no reason to suspect Reinhardt.

"He had faced a very traumatic experience and simply wanted to leave," Peck said. "The police had no reason to suspect he was involved."

The ACLU has joined Langford in filing the suit against Metro.

In the arrest report, the officer wrote that Reinhardt was not cooperative and, "after his demeanor ... it is possible that this BMA (black male adult, referring to Reinhardt) may be involved somehow or the bank robbers knew him."

Charges against Reinhardt were never filed by prosecutors, Langford said. Still, he spent 18 hours in the jail before posting bond and being released.

"I just felt humiliated," Reinhardt said.

Asked if he wanted an apology from police, he said, "That's highly unlikely, but it would be nice."

Langford quickly added that an apology would be nice, "but not enough."

The lawsuit could take anywhere from six months to two years to reach trial, Langford said.