In 2019, Bryan Thomas, a Black man, filed a lawsuit alleging that Officer Justin Switzer engaged in racial profiling during a traffic stop. Thomas claimed that Switzer stopped him for a broken taillight, questioned him about illegal narcotics, and demanded to search his vehicle. After Thomas refused consent, Switzer removed him from the car and threatened to have it towed. Thomas was held in the back of a cruiser for nearly two hours while officers searched his car, causing damage to his personal belongings. The case was dismissed by the judge after Thomas confirmed that the taillight was functional. ([providencejournal.com](https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/courts/2022/01/06/ct-man-alleges-north-smithfield-ri-woonsocket-police-used-racial-profiling/9105004002/?utm_source=openai))
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