Targeted Because of a Malfunctioning Brake Light

Federico has been stopped while driving an automobile many times in Cobb County and is aware of many other Latinos that have been stopped in Cobb for no good reason. Federico was most recently stopped in Cobb County on a Saturday afternoon, while driving home with his family after a trip to the park. Cobb County officers pulled him over because his brake light was not properly functioning. The officers asked Federico if he spoke English; he replied that he did not. Federico requested for the officer to address him in Spanish, but the officer did not provide him with an interpreter. The officer asked him for his driver’s license, which he did not have. The officer then requested that Federico get out of the car and conducted a search without his consent. Subsequently, the officer arrested him and threatened Federico that he was going to call ICE and that he would have him deported. In detention, the officers did not inform him about his right to contact his consular office about his arrest. Federico says that the jail personnel treated him badly. They had three tuberculosis exams administered on him in one day. Federico spent 18 days in jail. It took $750 to get him out of the Cobb County Jail. Federico currently avoids certain areas in Cobb County because of police surveillance.

Source: Terror and Isolation in Cobb - How Unchecked Police Power Under 287(g) Has Torn Families Apart and Threatened Public Safety by ACLU of Georgia (October 2009)