GREENSBORO, N.C. — Greensboro church leaders held a press conference at the Beloved Community Center urging charges against Devin Scales be dropped and more police accountability.

The group of clergymen said the misuse of force by the Greensboro Police Department should be handled by an independent citizen’s police review board with subpoena power.

Rev. Nelson Johnson of Faith Community Church gave an example at the conference of the current internal police investigation of Officer T.B. Cole and the arrest of Rufus and Devin Scales.

On Aug. 4, the brothers were walking along their Memphis Street neighborhood when they were told to get off the street. They said Officer Cole harassed them.

Devin Scales recorded the arrest on his cell phone because he felt he and his brother were targeted for simply walking down the street.

Rufus Scales was charged with impeding the flow of traffic, public intoxication and resisting arrest.
Devin Scales was charged with impeding traffic as well.

Greensboro Police Chief Ken Miller released the following statement:

“The men and women of the Greensboro Police Department work extremely hard to fairly serve the residents of our City on a daily basis. When there are complaints about our actions, we take them very seriously. Through our Professional Standards Division, our staff thoroughly investigates all claims to identify if the allegations have merit.

“We have received and are currently investigating this complaint through our standard processes to better determine and understand what occurred. It’s vitally important that we take the time to obtain a clear picture of everything that happened, interview those who are making the complaints, the officers involved, and third party witnesses to form an objective conclusion based on facts. Our goal is to resolve these complaints, address any issues, and ensure that the confidence and trust we have worked hard to build with the residents of Greensboro continues to strengthen.”