Protesters call for FMPD chief, officers to resign over perceived cavity search

Reporter: Corey Lazar
Published: Updated:

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Dozens of people called for the resignation of Interim Fort Myers Police Chief Dennis Eads during a protest outside police department headquarters on Monday.

The group was fired up over videos posted to social media that they claim shows Fort Myers officers performing a cavity search on Michael McDonald for drugs during a traffic stop. The protesters also claim McDonald was a victim of racial profiling.

“We all need police officers to protect and serve,” one protester yelled. “We don’t hate them we just want them to do the job the proper way.”

More than 500 people have signed an online petition calling for Eads to resign.

“And all the officers during this one incident to be fired of arrested,” said Nathan Dimoff with South Florida Cop Watch.

When viewing the body camera footage, Eads said McDonald had admitted to using drugs and claimed to have no more on him.

But when officers patted McDonald down previously, Eads said they felt drugs inside his shorts.

“Right now they know that there is a bundle of something up inside of his underwear that is not natural to his body and they are trying to retrieve it,” he said.

Despite what protesters are saying, Eads said his police officers did not perform a cavity search on McDonald. All cavity searches are done in a sterile environment, possibly with the help of medical personnel, he said.

“There was a search done based on probable cause and there were legal drugs taken out of the individuals underwear,” he said.

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