Nate Allen to sue police over wrongful arrest
By Chase Ruttig
Dec 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles strong safety Nate Allen (29) intercepts a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle (82) in the fourth quarter during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Before he signed with the Oakland Raiders, it looked like Nate Allen’s free agency stock was plummeting over an arrest in Florida due to public masturbation that involved a 16 year old girl as police were notified over a man masturbating in his car, ultimately arresting the NFL veteran. Allen appearing to be in the midst of an unfortunate scandal right as he was about to test the open market after his deal with the Philadelphia Eagles came to an end.
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As it turned out, Allen was wrongfully arrested and detained. Leading to Allen deciding to take legal action towards the Fort Myers Police Department for their error that arguably hurt the defensive back’s reputation even if at the end of the day it came out that he was innocent and the police mistakenly identified him as a suspect.
Yesterday it was reported that the four officers involved in Allen’s arrest were punished for their actions in the wrongful detainment of the player, but that won’t stop the now Raiders defensive back from pursuing legal action. Allen noting that it felt like he was in prison ‘forever’ while citing that it could have been different if he wasn’t a NFL player as his wrongful arrest could have turned into jail time if he didn’t have the access to a lawyer.
Allen also called for an examination of the Fort Myers PD from an external investigation. Blaming the wrongful arrest on a lack of leadership that led to Allen being targeted in what was a wrongful arrest.
Nate Allen's lawyer will sue Ft Myers and its PD for civil rights violations, blaming his false arrest on a lack of leadership @TheNewsPress
— Cody Dulaney (@dulaneycd) July 24, 2015
Nate Allens lawyer calls upon city council for an external investigation for a top to bottom review. Report failed to blame the leadership
— Cody Dulaney (@dulaneycd) July 24, 2015
Nate Allen said it seemed like he was in that cell forever, and things could've turned out differently if it were someone else. Maybe prison
— Cody Dulaney (@dulaneycd) July 24, 2015
"It's pathetic," Allen's lawyer said. "This appears to be systemic.
— Cody Dulaney (@dulaneycd) July 24, 2015
"You bet your ass we're suing the city."
Allen has full right to sue in his case and hopefully his stature as a NFL player will help shed light on the issue of wrongful arrests by police departments across the country, an issue that affects mostly African American males. It appears that the Raiders safety isn’t going to take his very unfortunate incident lightly as he has been understandably vocal against the Fort Myers PD since the arrest was made. This story will be interesting to follow off the field as Allen looks to be taking a stand against the police issues in the United States after his wrongful arrest showed just how quickly things can go south if a police department are profiling based on race instead of trying to properly identify a suspect.