Mayor releases video of WB traffic stop connected to racial profiling complaint

WILKES-BARRE — What was a routine traffic stop involving the chairwoman of the city’s Police Advisory Committee turned into a profanity laced tirade when Darlene Duggins-Magdalinski protested the towing of her car after she could not prove she had insurance.

Body-worn camera video of the Aug. 13 stop was released Friday by Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown to provide “full disclosure” of the incident after Duggins-Magdalinski accused Officer Dan Duffy of racial profiling and joined with the police union in calling for the footage to be made public. The videos can be seen attached to this story at timesleader.com.

Duggins-Magdalinski released her complaint and Brown had been mulling doing the same with the video following newspaper reports of the stop and both sides asserting the video supported their respective positions.

“I came to the decision today the best thing was to put it out there. I want to be very open with the public,” Brown said.

Duffy, who is white, made no mention of Duggins-Magdalinski being Black and she raised her membership on the committee to another officer who responded to the stop around 7 p.m. near the Turkey Hill convenience store at intersection of South Wilkes-Barre Boulevard and Hazle Street. Duff is, however, heard referring to her as “an ass” to another officer toward the end of the traffic stop.

A license plate reader in Duffy’s police vehicle picked up violations for the Mercedes Benz C 300 sedan belonging to Duggins-Magdalinski that had just passed him. She was a passenger in the back seat with her grandson and her daughter, Fa’tirah Duggins, whose license was suspended, was at the wheel.

Approximately 15 minutes into the 40-minute stop Duggins-Magdalinski snapped at Duffy when he presses her to produce proof of insurance or her car would be towed. She had been unable to pull up an app on her new phone and her daughter, Fa’tirah Duggins, who was driving without a license, was hysterical upon learning she was going to jail for an outstanding warrant.

“You can make a major thing out of this as much as you want and so can I,” Duffy told Duggins-Magdalinski .

“What do you mean by that?” Duggins-Magdalinski asked with Duffy telling her again to provide her insurance or face a tow. She stated she would call the mayor and Police Chief Joseph Coffay, adding, “Don’t f—-ing threaten me!”

From the scene, Duggins-Magdalinski called Brown but did not leave a message. She prevented Duffy from unscrewing her license plate and had not been able to show her insurance was current.

At approximately the 30-minute point Duggins-Magdalinski tells another officer she is a committee member and it’s overheard by Duffy.

“Oh is that right,” Duffy said.

“Absolutely,” Duggins-Magdalinski answered.

“Good I hope they’re going to see the way you’re acting on this body camera,” Duffy responded.

“No, no, no, I hope you can see because that bulls—- you doing. Like you said you got a camera,” Duggins-Magdalinski said.

The back and forth between them continued, and Duffy can be heard saying, “This is unacceptable,” and “She wants to use her position.”

In a Facebook post Wednesday, the Wilkes-Barre City Police Benevolent Association, representing Duffy and officers in the department, challenged Duggins-Magdalinski’s account and alleged she tried to use her position on the committee to alter the outcome of the stop. The union also asked that she be removed from the volunteer committee because she lives in Hanover Township and for good cause. The PBA furthermore demanded that she be investigated for allegedly trying to use her influence as a committee member in other instances.

During the stop, Duggins-Magdalinski, who wore a T-shirt and shorts retrieved a robe from the car and put it on. She erupted when Duffy told her she would be receiving vehicle code violations. “Let me tell you something. I’ve been driving around with this car I don’t know how long. You’re trying to f—- with me,” she yelled and added she hasn’t used her committee role to get out jams.

“Just make sure you don’t review me,” Duffy said.

“You’re position isn’t going to get you out of trouble. No way,” Duffy told Duggins-Magdalinski. She stressed she never tried to exert influence as a committee member.

As she crossed the street to the store parking lot for a ride, Duggins-Magdalinski continued yelling at Duffy with a parting , “F—- you.”

“Review committee, that’s a good one,” Duffy shouted back.

Without the participation of Duggins-Magdalinski, the committee will review the investigation underway by the police department into her complaint. The video from the cameras along with the completed report will be provided to the committee so it can make recommendations to Brown and Police Chief Joseph Coffay on what steps to take next.

Duffy issued five traffic citations to Duggins-Magdalinski. She pleaded not guilty and has a summary trial before District Justice Rick Cronauer of Wilkes-Barre on Sept. 7.