The Galveston, Texas police department is under fire after photos surfaced over the weekend showing two horse-mounted white police officers leading a black man in handcuffs down a street with a rope.
The two officers, identified by police as P. Brosch and A. Smith, arrested Donald Neely, 43, on Saturday for criminal trespass after several warnings, according to the Galveston Police Department. But instead of waiting for a transport vehicle to take Neely back to where the other officers were stationed, the cops on horseback tied a rope around his handcuffs and forced him to walk behind their horses for several blocks.
“We understand the negative perception of this action and believe it is most appropriate to cease the use of this technique,” the Galveston Police Department wrote in a Monday Facebook post. “The practice was not used correctly in this instance.”
Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale also issued a statement apologizing to Neely, who was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing. Hale added that the two officers were “familiar” with Neely.
He said that Neely was in the controversial position for about two blocks as they made their way to “where the Mounted Patrol Unit was staging from,” and insisted the officers “did not have any malicious intent.”
The technique, he said, is usually used in volatile situations, such as for crowd control.
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