A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against two Dothan Police officers who briefly detained an independent journalist for filming inside a state building.
George Metz II filed suit in 2021, saying Officers D. Bridges and J. Dodson violated his rights and illegally detained him after he was filming inside the lobby of the Department of Human Resources in Dothan.
Metz claimed his rights were violated when the officers demanded his ID, handcuffed him and searched him.
Court documents revealed Metz had been asked to leave the building multiple times. He and another person with him were detained for about an hour but not arrested or charged with any crimes.
The officers believed Metz was trespassing, according to court documents.
Alabama is also a “stop and identify” state, meaning police are allowed to stop and request information from people in public places whom officers reasonably suspect of committing a crime.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama originally ruled the officers could be held personally liable for their actions, but that motion was reversed by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Chief United States District Judge Emily Marks ruled in favor of the officers and the City of Dothan, also named in the lawsuit, thus closing the case.
