Monroe Co. NAACP meets with Chickasaw Co. Sheriff regarding complaints against deputy

NAACP representatives were given officer's bodycam footage from one of the traffic stops

MONROE AND CHICKASAW COUNTIES, MISS. (WCBI) – The Monroe County Chapter of the NAACP met with the Chickasaw County Sheriff today after the civil rights group filed two complaints about the alleged conduct of a deputy.

The complaints were filed on behalf of two women, Doris Lipsey, and Jennifer Blair.  Both women claim that in separate traffic stops, Chickasaw County Deputy B J Gladney violated their civil rights.

Lipsey also claims her husband was wrongly arrested during the stop.  Blair claims she was taken to jail for asking questions when she was stopped for a seatbelt violation.

“I asked him, why did he pull me over, I could see he was perturbed, he said, get your license and insurance, as I got ready to hand it out of the window, I asked him why did he pull me over, he told me to step out of the vehicle,” Blair said.

Blair made a Facebook video showing a scuffle between her and Deputy Gladney.  Recently, the women, along with the president of the Monroe County Chapter of the NAACP, talked with WCBI about their complaints and what they wanted to happen.

“Anyone who violates the civil rights of another should be called to account.  This is not about race, this is about right, versus wrong,” said Dr. James Cook, president of the Monroe County Chapter of the NAACP.

Wednesday afternoon, Cook and another NAACP representative met with Chickasaw County Sheriff James Meyers.  During the meeting, Meyers gave the men a copy of Deputy Gladney’s body cam footage from Blair’s traffic stop.  That video is not being shared with WCBI at this time.

Gladney has been with the sheriff’s department since 2010 and is also a K-9 officer, seen here in a story last year.  Meyers says the meeting was cordial and productive.

“They voiced their concerns about my officer, and I told them my concerns, and where I am at with my officer.  He’s a good officer and I back his decisions and the way he handled both of those stops, one hundred percent,” Sheriff Meyers said.

Representatives from the Monroe County Chapter of the NAACP did not want to comment on camera after the meeting.  They want a chance to review the bodycam footage.  We are told that the footage shows the entire sequence of events between Deputy Gladney and Ms Blair.

Cook says he will meet with Sheriff Meyers after he’s had a chance to look at the bodycam footage.  There is no footage available from the stop during a safety checkpoint with Mrs. Lipsey.