Philadelphia lawyer Gavin P. Lentz has represented three defendants in the cases and has vowed to pursue a class-action suit against the department.
Lentz "sees dollar signs down the road," Herron said in an interview. ''Filing a suit usually results in some sort of settlement because the involved parties don't have the money to continue. But he can do anything he wants to do."
Lentz said he planned to pursue the cases not for money but because his clients believed their civil rights had been violated. He said he had received numerous complaints about the police officers, especially Officer William J. Wright. Wright has been the arresting officer in three cases in which black people alleged that they were mistreated or stopped without reason.
Herron said the reason for the stops was simple: Wright patrols the Woodlyn area, a predominantly black community, and seeks to address problems before they get out of hand.
"There is no racial profiling in Ridley Township," Herron said. "I didn't even know that term until Lentz invented it. We encounter many, many people in the course of our duties, and we treat them all the same. If you violate the law, expect to face the consequences no matter who you are."
Herron said of Wright, a five-year veteran of the force: "Maybe (he) has a course of action to take after this is all over. Everybody has their day."
Lee Douglas, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said Herron was notified last month that the department had been cleared of any prosecutable wrongdoing.
"We did not find evidence of any violation of federal civil-rights statutes," Douglas said. "There was not enough evidence to take this case to court."
The FBI conducted a civil-rights investigation after Chester resident Jerome Jones Jr. said he suffered beatings, insults and racial slurs after being taken into police custody by Wright for no apparent reason Oct. 6.
In another incident, Richard Durnell, 50, of Ridley, testified last month that he was unfairly arrested in October after questioning the arrest of his friend. He said he was subjected to racial epithets after being transported to the township jail. Durnell was convicted of disorderly conduct and fined $100.
In October, John Brunston, 50, of Chester, was arrested after being followed by Wright for 12 or 14 blocks in Ridley. He testified last month that he was followed and taken into custody but not given a reason. He felt racially harassed because Wright told him that he had been seen leaving a neighborhood known to have a large drug-trafficking problem, he testified.
Brunston was convicted of driving without a license and having an unpaid ticket and was fined $200.
A condensed version of this story appears in the B section, for the benefit of readers who do not receive a Main Line and Delaware County Neighbors.
