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Racial Profiling Trial For Alamance County Sheriff Set To Begin

Alamance County Sheriff's vehicle
Alamance County Sheriff's Office

A federal case against the Alamance county sheriff accused of illegally targeting Latino drivers is going to trial today.

The U.S. Justice Department has accused Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson of illegally targeting Latino drivers as well as arresting and detaining people without probable cause.

Federal officials say Johnson ordered roadblocks in neighborhoods with Latino residents. They say deputies detained people with darker skin, while residents with lighter skin were waved through. Alamance County used to participate in a now-dismantled federal program that gave local law enforcement officers the power to assist in deportations.

Justice Department officials and the sheriff's office tried mediation to settle the case, but it was not successful.

Johnson is running for reelection in November.

 

Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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