Police Officer Accused of Groping Woman in Traffic Stop

Dearborn, MI — A Dearborn police officer accused of groping a woman during a traffic stop has been suspended without pay and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is weighing charges, according to media reports.

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad declined to discuss the details of the allegations, but confirmed to WXYZ-TV that the officer is being investigated.

The prosecutor’s office also declined to corroborate the allegations, but told the TV station it is reviewing a warrant request.

This is the third high-profile investigation of Dearborn police officers in recent months. Two others involve allegations of excessive force in the fatal shootings of two suspects.

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Kevin Matthews, 36, was unarmed when he was shot dead by a Dearborn police officer last December. He sustained six gunshot wounds, including one from “very close range,” according to a private autopsy report.
Matthews was one of two African-Americans shot in a one-month period in confrontations with Dearborn police. Matthews’ shooting sparked protests amid claims that black residents are targeted for arrest by officers in predominantly white Dearborn.

In a statement released after the shooting, Dearborn police said the officer, who has since been placed on administrative leave, struggled with Matthews, who was wanted on an outstanding misdemeanor probation violation warrant. The police department has also said that Matthews was going for the officer’s gun.

"The officer approached the subject, a 36-year-old Detroit resident, and the subject fled on foot," Dearborn police said in the December statement. "The officer chased the subject and encountered him several houses away, in Detroit, where a struggle ensued. Subsequently, the officer fired his department-issued weapon, striking the subject."

The police-involved fatal shooting of another black Detroit resident a month later intensified calls for reform. Police have defended the use of force in the fatal shooting of Janet Wilson, who allegedly tried to run over a police officer with her car.

However, her family and others said that police should have considered methods other than deadly force to stop Wilson, who they said suffers from mental illness. Wilson was shot on Hubbard drive after an incident with mall security officers at nearby Fairlane Town Center on Jan. 27.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced in April that it would be reviewing the Dearborn Police Department’s use of force practices, provide training on de-escalation tactics and help the department develop hiring policies to increase the diversity of the police force.