Charleston Police Clear Officers After Community Alleges Pattern of Abuse

Local attorneys presented complaint to City Council alleging excessive force and falsified reports targeting West Side residents with video evidence.

By Crystal Good | Black By God – The West Virginian

Charleston Police Chief Scott Dempsey announced that a departmental review found no policy violations by Officer Wyatt McCabe or other officers accused of a pattern of abuse targeting Black residents, despite video evidence that attorneys say contradicts official police reports.

The announcement, reported by Leslie Rubin for WCHS, came two weeks after four Charleston attorneys presented a formal complaint to City Council alleging a two-year pattern of excessive force, unlawful pursuits, and falsified reports by the now-disbanded Special Enforcement Unit.

According to Rubin’s reporting, Dempsey informed sworn personnel of the complaints in a department-wide email sent on November 18. He said three of the four incidents cited in the complaint had already been reviewed by Professional Standards at the time they occurred, as is required for any use-of-force event. He directed a lieutenant to re-examine all allegations outlined in the letter.

The review cleared all officers named in the complaint. “We have cleared any mentioned officers in the letter of the allegations and our review stands firm,” Dempsey wrote.

The Complaint

The November 12 complaint, signed by attorneys Rico Moore, Olobunmi “Bunmi” Kusimo-Frazier, Trent Redman, and Geoffrey Cullop, detailed four separate incidents between October 2023 and October 2025 in which video evidence allegedly contradicts officers’ sworn statements or official reports.

The incidents include:

• October 2023: Officers allegedly entered a Rand residence and forcibly pushed a young woman to the ground
• May 2025: Officers allegedly assaulted juvenile ZL while claiming he attacked them; video allegedly shows he was compliant
• June 2025: Officers allegedly pursued DeVionne Wilson-Willis on an electric scooter despite Charleston’s no-chase policy, struck him with a vehicle, and beat him
• October 2025: McCabe allegedly slammed Cleveland Dawkins into a pole and punched him repeatedly during a warrant service

On November 17, the attorneys presented their complaint directly to Charleston City Council, emphasizing their concerns as both legal professionals and community members.

“We wanted to make sure the city heard us,” Kusimo-Frazier told WOWK 13 News. “There are so many people who are afraid of this particular officer or of these scenarios. As members of the bar, we felt a responsibility to represent our community.”

The Special Enforcement Unit, whose primary focus was deterring street-level crimes, was disbanded in July—four months before the complaint was filed.

Community Response

The department’s clearance has drawn sharp criticism from community members who say the video evidence speaks for itself.

A community member who initially spoke with Black By God later asked to withdraw their quote, explaining that while they support speaking up about the incident, they also live in a place where they still need police to respond and did not want their name publicly attached.

The attorneys’ complaint requested a full internal investigation, the creation of a civilian oversight board, independent oversight by the City Attorney, and the public release of investigative findings. The complaint also argued that if the allegations were substantiated, the involved officers should “be fired immediately.”

A Broader Pattern

The Charleston complaint emerges amid a growing statewide crisis of police accountability. As reported by West Virginia Watch, the West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management reduced the state’s maximum payout for excessive-force settlements from $1 million to $500,000 in a policy that took effect July 1—citing “an uptick in excessive use of force claims.”

Recent West Virginia misconduct settlements include:

• $1 million in 2024 for the death of Edmond Exline
• $1.3 million in payouts tied to Roane County Deputy Mike King
• $390,000 in 2025 for Robert Marsh
• $265,000 in 2017 assault settlements

Nationally, U.S. cities have spent more than $3 billion over the past decade resolving police misconduct cases.

The attorneys’ complaint does not include any legal filings or pending civil actions. Whether the department’s internal review will satisfy community concerns—or prompt independent oversight from city leaders—remains to be seen.

This is a developing story. Black By God: The West Virginian will continue to report as more information emerges.