South Portland police launch policy review after Deering High School student 'mistakenly' detained by police

Yahoo

14-05-2025

May 14—The South Portland Police Department has launched a review after officers "mistakenly" handcuffed and pointed their guns at a 16-year-old Deering High School student who "closely matched" the description of another teen who was suspected of committing a burglary in the city.
The student was standing next to a vehicle about a block away from the high school as his friends were getting ready to drive to McDonald's for lunch, according to his mother.
South Portland police, who were executing a search warrant at a nearby house on Orkney Street, say the 19-year-old they were looking for was "known to associate with" people who use and carry firearms, so they drew their guns after spotting the student near the house, which they say is standard protocol when arresting someone who may be armed.
Officers ordered the 16-year-old to stop and lie down, and escorted him away from the house so they could pat him down — before realizing he wasn't the teen they were looking for. After less than five minutes, the teen and another person in the vehicle who was also detained were released, according to a release by the department.
Amber Miller, the student's parent, said she spoke with South Portland police Chief Daniel Ahern Wednesday morning and felt the department did not provide a satisfactory explanation about why her son was apprehended.
She said she believes her son was racially profiled because he is multiracial and "identifies as a light-skinned Black male," and added that there are clear differences in her son's appearance compared to the suspect police arrested later that afternoon.
"We'll be holding them accountable," Miller said in a phone call Wednesday. "They have to take a deep dive into what happened here."
Ahern said in an emailed statement that he believes the officers acted "reasonably and appropriately" given the information they had at the time. He said the department will review this incident to ensure officers adhered to all policies.
"As a parent myself I completely understand how this incident could be very upsetting for innocent young people caught in the middle of a police action," Ahern wrote. "I'm grateful to school administrators for providing resources to anyone affected by this incident."
The 19-year-old who police were looking for was arrested at his workplace in Cape Elizabeth later that afternoon. Miller said her 16-year-old son and his friends have heard of the suspect in the burglary, but the suspect was not near or inside the vehicle with the high school students that morning.
Several law enforcement officials, including Southern Maine Regional SWAT members, South Portland police detectives and Portland police officers assisted in the search and arrest, according to a statement from the South Portland Police Department.
"They could have gotten (my son's) identification in so many different ways prior to trying to detain him," Miller said. "It's not just the trauma that he faced that's so upsetting, but all the other kids that were with him. All of the kids had to observe that. I don't know how long it's going to take to unpack that."
Miller said she's concerned that South Portland officers aren't being sufficiently trained in how to interact with and identify people of different races. She said she hopes her son's experience sparks a policy change.
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