NAACP Investigating Cartersville Drug Arrests

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- The Georgia branch of the NAACP said it's investigating law enforcement activity in the arrests of dozens of people at a house party on New Year's Eve in Cartersville. The arrests, the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force said, followed an investigation into a call of shots fired at a home on Cain Drive.

According to the NAACP's press release, both its Georgia and Bartow County branches are looking into the incident in which dozens of teenagers were arrested after the 9-1-1 call.

"Many of the teens arrested have alleged that members of law enforcement unlawfully searched the property rented for a house party, their bodies and their belongings," the NAACP's letter states.

Along with investigating the allegations, the NAACP also said it's working with the teens and their families to obtain pretrial releases and attorneys to protect their civil rights.

"It is our hope the case will not drastically impact the lives of these young people and that justice will be done," said attorney Gerald Griggs, the chair of the NAACP's Criminal Justice Committee. "The situation should have been handled by simple citations and release instead of arrest, given the changing cultural sentiment concerning marijuana. It's simply not possible for 70 people to possess the same alleged small amount of marijuana."

Ending its letter with the hashtag #Cartersville70, the organization said it's reached out to city and county officials to discuss the arrests and to resolve the complaints made against the respective law enforcement agencies.

The events unfolded after Cartersville police were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 31 to a shots fired call at the home on Cain Drive. Officers arrived and detected the smell of weed and saw several people leaving the property, the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force previously said. Cartersville police secured the area while they investigated the report of shots being fired.

While carrying out its investigation, officers noticed "marijuana in plain view and initially recovered a semi-automatic handgun," the Task Force said.

Cartersville police notified the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force to aid in the investigation due to the large number of people inside the house, the discovery of the gun and "evidence of widespread drug usage," the Task Force added.

More than 60 people were inside the home, including four minors. Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force agents obtained a search warrant for the home and two firearms (one reported stolen from Detroit), individually packaged marijuana and several smoking devices were seized throughout most of the first-floor rooms.

Officers also recovered suspected cocaine and cocaine-related paraphernalia following initial contact with several subjects on the scene. Everyone at the house was arrested for possession of the marijuana, "which was in everyone's reach or control," the Drug Task Force said. They were all transported to the Bartow County Jail. The age of those arrested range from 15 to 31 years old.

Cartersville police spokesperson Lt. Mike Bettikofer said the investigation and evidence uncovered at the home was turned over to the Drug Task Force for further action.

"It has been a long-standing policy of the Cartersville Police Department that drug investigations routine patrol officers encounter are referred to the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force," he added. "This current policy is now under review for any further drug investigations."

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