WPD demoted officer who told Uber driver he couldn’t record video

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington Police Department has demoted an officer involved in an incident in which he told an Uber driver that he could not shoot video of a traffic stop.

Sgt. Kenneth Becker has been demoted to corporal, according to a public records request. WPD spokeswoman Linda Thompson could not say whether the demotion was a direct result of an internal affairs investigation into the video incident. The demotion, which went into effect yesterday, also lowers Becker’s pay from $27.66/hour to $26.28/hour.

Uber driver Jesse Bright, who is also a defense attorney, said a police officer and a New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputy pulled him over February 26. Bright said he was taking a fare on a round trip when he was pulled over near Dawson and 16th streets.

WPD says it launched the investigation into Becker almost immediately and reached out to the complainant. Police Chief Ralph Evangelous said the complaint has been addressed appropriately and action has been taken.

“This was a matter of maintaining the public’s trust and confidence in our agency. As police officers we are given a tremendous amount of authority to carry out our jobs. It is undeniable that there is a tremendous expectation from the public for officers to live to a higher standard ,” Evangelous said in a statement. “I cannot stress enough, that photographing and videotaping the police keeps us accountable. We believe that public videos help to protect the police as well as our citizens and provide critical information during police and citizen interaction.”

“I explained that I was an Uber driver and that, you know, my passenger, I don’t even know him,” Bright said.

Bright said the Wilmington police officer told Bright he had just taken his passenger to a known drug house.

“They questioned me and what I was doing there,” Bright said. “Didn’t seem to believe I was an Uber driver.”

Then, Bright said the officer noticed he was recording.

“Sgt. Becker told me it was illegal to film the police and told me to turn it off or he would take me to jail,” Bright said.

Bright did not stop recording.

WPD says Becker has been with the department for 17 years. He is currently assigned to the Planning and Research Division.