Police Seen Leading Black Man By Rope While Riding Horseback; Chief Apologizes After Backlash

A Galveston, Texas police chief is apologizing after officers were seen leading a Black man through the streets by rope while riding horseback. 

Over the weekend, photos surfaced of the officers’ arrest of the man and their subsequent use of a leash to lead him through the streets while they rode horseback. According to the police department, the 43-year-old, who has been identified as Donald Neely, was arrested for criminal trespassing in downtown Galveston.

Before being taken to a Mounted Patrol Unit staging area, the officers, who have been identified as P. Brosch and A. Smith, handcuffed the man and clipped a rope to the handcuffs. The triggering photo has since gone viral online and has invoked a painful visual of a slave catching. However, the “technique” is one the Department says is best in “certain scenarios.” 

“While this technique of using mounted horses to transport a person during an arrest is considered a best practice in certain scenarios, such as during crowd control, the practice was not used correctly in this instance,” the department said. And one of the most historical “scenarios” is that of the runaway enslaved African and the slave catcher. 

The officers involved claim to know the man, saying they’ve warned the man several times about trespassing at the location. However, Donald’s sister-in-law, Christin Neely, says he is mentally ill, homeless, and that he “gets arrested often for trespassing.” Galveston Police Chief Vernon L. Hale, III said in a statement Monday that, “First and foremost, I must apologize to (the man arrested) for this unnecessary embarrassment. Although this is a trained technique and best practice in some scenarios, I believe our officers showed poor judgment in this instance and could have waited for a transport unit at the location of the arrest. My officers did not have any malicious intent at the time of the arrest, but we have immediately changed the policy to prevent the use of this technique and will review all mounted training and procedures for more appropriate methods.”

“We understand the negative perception of this action and believe it is most appropriate to cease the use of this technique.” So far, there is no word on whether the officers involved will face disciplinary action.