One Man's Story of His Traffic Stop in Menlo Park

Willert Waller was driving home from work late at night when a Menlo Park police officer stopped him for an expired registration tag. But Waller’s license had been suspended years back, because of an unpaid traffic ticket and unpaid child support.

Driving with a revoked license is a misdemeanor in California, and that night, the officer ordered Waller’s 2007 blue Cadillac towed and held for 30 days at an impound lot. As it turned out, the car was held for 16 days.

Waller, who is African-American, believes he was stopped in part because of his race, and that the officer searched him and his vehicle without probable cause.

“I felt like he was pushing me,” says Waller. “With all these officer-involved shootings and killings, I know right from wrong.”

Logs from the Menlo Park Police Department confirm the impound of Waller's vehicle. Police data also show that seven out of 10 drivers cited for a suspended license over a four-month time period were Latino or African-American.

Latinos are 17 percent of Menlo Park's population, while African-Americans are 4 percent.

We couldn’t confirm with the officer who stopped Waller exactly what happened during that traffic stop. However, Menlo Park police Cmdr. Dave Bertini believes the issue has nothing to do with race.

“If anybody were to suggest that this is going on for racial reasons, I think that’s asinine and bordering on slanderous,” said Bertini, who has been with the department since 2011.

Listen to Waller’s account of what happened here: