City apologizes for officer in 'eye contact' traffic stop

Officer Randy Betsinger, who marks one year with the Dayton Police Department this month, also will be retrained, City Manager Warren Price said tonight during the city commission meeting.

In a cellphone video that has now gone viral, Betsinger last month pulled over John Felton for turn signal violation, but also told him: “You made direct eye contact with me and held onto it when I was passing you on Salem (Avenue).”

City leaders agree the turn signal violation occurred, but said this traffic stop video demonstrated a “breakdown in communication” and led to a misperception of the city and its police force.

“Officer Betsinger has been directed to report to the police academy when he returns to work and he will undergo additional training related to traffic stops and related communication, Price said.

“Given the allegation of racial profiling in this incident made by Mr. Felton’s attorney, an administrative investigation of this incident is being conducted by the professional standards bureau of our department,” Price said. “It is our sincere intent that all interactions between Dayton police and members of the Dayton community and our visitors are professional and respectful and that community members view them as such.”

Byron Potts, attorney for Felton, said the incident is not blown out of proportion and that his client is fortunate to have recorded the traffic stop.

“We’re not totally satisfied with just retraining him,” he said. “This is a bigger problem than they are allowing. We’re not going to let them sweep this under the rug and say it’s an isolated incident. … We don’t think it is.”

Betsinger pulled over Felton in mid-August during a two-day state initiative involving city police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers. In Dayton, there were 363 traffic stops, and of those 247 involved warnings only. The stop involving Felton did not result in a ticket.

“No one wants to have the national attention that we received over this,” said Commissioner Joey Williams. “I don’t think that it’s indicative of our police department or what we believe in Dayton, Ohio.”

After viewing the video, Williams said he believes the officer was trying to explain his actions but believes there was a breakdown in communication. He said the officer did not come across as “testy” or seem to have bad intentions.

“We’re definitely sorry this got the level that it got to, and we wish the encounter certainly would have gone a lot better,” Williams said.