ComPol Williams Explains Instructions to Release Attorney Without Ammunition Charge

Chester Williams

A well-known attorney was pulled over by the Gang Suppression Unit on Faber’s Road on Thursday morning and a search of his vehicle yielded several rounds of unlicensed ammunition.  Ordinarily, it is a charge that would land the driver behind bars for an indictable offense.  The fact that he was set free following the raid has left many to wonder if lawyers are themselves above the law.  This afternoon, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams explained to the media why his instructions, having been apprised of the matter, were to release the attorney without being charged.  According to ComPol Williams, there are several factors that raise reasonable doubt, including the fact that the attorney’s vehicle cannot be locked.  Here’s how he rationalized that situation.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Basically had received information and we acted on it and it goes to show that for us it does not matter against whom the information is.  Once we have information that we believe is credible, we are going to act.  And so yes, the police went and they pulled over the individual attorney, and I am not going to call any name, and a search was conducted on his vehicle and that search yielded, I think, five, nine millimeter rounds of ammunition.  He was taken to the police station and the vehicle was again thoroughly searched using other methods and I was briefed on what took place.  And having been briefed and the circumstances under which the ammunition were found was not too compelling and so because of that we believe that it would have been unfair to levy charges against him for those ammunition because one, his vehicle cannot lock.  It remains open all night.  Two: it is parked in a way where anyone can go and put whatever they want in it.  Three: the location where these ammunition were found.  Man, this is an attorney; I don’t think he would be a fool to put those ammunition where they were found.  So it was clear that someone may have stood him up and so because of that we decide that we’re going to investigate this further and we’re not going to levy charges against him at this time.”

Reporter

“The interpretation would be that because he’s an attorney, it’s alright if he noh have wahn license for his ammunition.  Sir, any youth pan di south side right now, yoh ketch ahn with one round ih gwein da back.”

Chester Williams

“Mr. Vasquez, let us not go ahead of ourselves, please.  The police is not an organization to punish people.  The police is an investigatory body and we have a responsibility to ensure that whenever we levy charges against someone that it is fair and just to do so.”