CUMBERLAND, Maine (AP) - The Maine attorney general’s office is investigating a Black attorney’s claims that she was pulled over twice without cause by the Cumberland Police Department.
Krystal D. Williams, a Portland attorney, wrote about the incidents in the Maine Bar Journal, a publication of the Maine State Bar Association.
The encounters with Cumberland police weren’t a focus of her article, but she used the examples to explain how racism can feel, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Town Manager William R. Shane said Police Chief Charles Rumsey reached out to Williams upon learning of the article.
The allegations are being investigated by an “outside agency” in coordination with the attorney general’s office, Shane said in a statement. The officers involved in the alleged incidents of racial bias are not being named and they have not been placed on leave.
Williams, who no longer lives in Cumberland, is the daughter of a police officer. In her legal practice, she focuses on energy, land use and environmental laws.
“I am pleased that the town of Cumberland has started an investigation into my experiences. Chief Rumsey has repeatedly assured me the investigation will be independent, thorough and transparent,” she told the newspaper in an email.
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