Lawrence officer targeted women during underage drinking, DUI checks: Investigation
A former police officer in Lawrence can no longer work in law enforcement in Kansas after authorities found he targeted females during underage drinking checks at bars.
In a data analysis, 99% of the citations Bradley Williams issued during minor in possession checks were to females. Sixty-four percent of the arrests he made for operating under the influence were females while 36% were males, according to Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (CPOST) records. The agency is responsible for licensing police officers in the state.
Williams worked for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office from March 2011 to May 2017, and for the Lawrence Police Department from May 2017 to January 2021. CPOST records said he resigned.
Lawrence police spokeswoman Laura McCabe said department officials appropriately turned the investigation over to CPOST and “trust the process.”
An attorney for Williams did not respond to a request for comment.
In August 2020, Sheriff Jay Armbrister expressed concerns to Lawrence police that Williams targeted college-age women during alcohol enforcement patrols. During Williams’ time with the sheriff’s office, several complaints were also made by a dancer at an adult club who said she was stopped several times by him and began to feel like she was being stalked. Other women at the club had similar concerns, CPOST records said. One reported that a message written on a restroom stall at the club said anyone with issues with Williams should contact his supervisor and included the supervisor’s name and phone number.
A female Lawrence police officer said she was stopped four times by Williams while he was with the sheriff’s office. None of the stops, including one for traveling 32 mph in a 30 mph zone, resulted in a ticket.
LPD began an investigation, analyzing citations and arrest data and discovered a “large discrepancy,” CPOST records said. When they removed Williams’ data from the analysis, the department’s gender statistics aligned with national data from the FBI.
In response to the investigation, Williams submitted a written statement.
“I have observed during bar checks where there are college aged individuals, as a general rule males seem to be calmer even if they are minors, and are more likely to say hello or high five the officer,” he wrote. “On the other hand, females, at times, react differently, including attempted flight from the bar.”
CPOST concluded that Williams engaged in biased-based policing and revoked his license. The agency rarely cites bias-based policing in revocations. Last year, 53 officers were reprimanded or had their licenses revoked — Williams was the only case of bias-based policing, according to CPOST records.
