Update on Bank calls cops on black man because they thought his paycheck was too high

[catbyte]

Cleveland man alleges racial profiling after bank refuses to cash check, calls 911

By Shannon Houser | December 17, 2018 at 7:17 PM EST - Updated December 19 at 8:54 AM

BROOKLYN, OH (WOIO) - A Cleveland man says he was racially profiled at a local branch when they called the cops on him for trying to cash a check. Paul McCowns tells Cleveland 19 he went to the Huntington branch inside Giant Eagle on Biddulph Ave in Brooklyn on December 1st.

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He was asked for two forms of ID, which both he and bank employees confirm he provided. The bank says McCowns also provided a fingerprint, per bank policy for non-Huntington customers who wish to cash checks. According to McCowns, bank employees started looking at the computer screen and questioning the transaction. “They tried to call my employer numerous times. He never picked up the phone,” he said.

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The paycheck was for a little more than $1,000. Tellers told him they couldn’t cash it. So, McCowns said he left the bank. "I get in my truck and the squad car pull in front of me and he says get out the car,” McCowns said. What he didn’t know is that as he was leaving the bank, employees called 911 on him. Cleveland 19 obtained a copy of the 911 call and police report.

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McCowns was handcuffed and put in the back of a Brooklyn Police cruiser. Minutes after being arrested, police were able to get in contact with McCowns employer who confirmed the check was real and that McCowns is an employee.

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[UPDATE: Huntington has issued the following statement:]

In a full statement, Huntington stated:

“We sincerely apologize to Mr. McCowns for this extremely unfortunate event. We accept responsibility for contacting the police as well as our own interactions with Mr. McCowns. Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical standards in how we operate, hire and train colleagues, and interact with the communities we have the privilege of serving.”


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https://www.cleveland19.com/2018/12/18/cleveland-man-alleges-racial-profiling-after-bank-refuses-cash-check-calls/
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So Huntington said that the tellers were just being "hyper vigilant" and race wasn't a factor at all. Yeah, right.

[FM123]

1. This is just all kinds of wrong!

[Corgigal]

2. Wtf ?

Why was he hand cuffed? Why was he taken into custody by the state, over no crime?

Who is LEO hiring today? I did hear something last week, Law enforcement agencies are now asking people if they ever had a concussion, or near an IED while on active duty.

Things have changed, and it's costly for everyone.

[catbyte]

6. And what would've happened to him if they hadn't been able to contact his employer

that night? How long would he have been jailed? This has lawsuit written all over it, from Huntington Bank right to the City. His civil rights were violated all down the line. This shit has got to stop.

[dalton99a]

10. Exactly.

[dalton99a]

3. What a load of bullshit. Now he has an arrest record?

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. I doubt it. He was probably technically detained rather than arrested.

For it to be on your record as an arrest, you'd be "booked." Doesn't sound like that's what happened.

Still appalling regardless.

[obamanut2012]

23. Correct, they detained him

Because the head teller in the 911 call actually said the check was fake and a crime was being committed. It was finally cleared up due to the cops. The bank staff literally lied on tape.

[exboyfil]

57. 911 operator should ask

What evidence do you have that it was fake?

[fescuerescue]

73. 9/11 operators really don't play detective

That's more than a few grades above their level.

911 operators collect all the info they can get and pass it onto the police, and offer steps to stabilize the situation.

There's been a number of times where 9/11 has played detective, and not send a car, only to have terrible or tragic results.

They could have asked that of course. In which case the teller would say SOMETHING, and that something would be passed onto the cops. The result wouldn't have been different.

[lillypaddle]

4. Fuck those motherfuckers

everyone in that area should take their money elsewhere. So sick of this kind of shit.

[WhiteTara]

5. I hope he gets a lot more than $1000 from the lawsuit.

[dalton99a]

9. +1. There must be a lawsuit.

[malaise]

16. Ditto

[Ligyron]

44. Right?

I'm thinking ... Jackpot!


Someone, the head teller perhaps, needs to lose a job too.

[Dustlawyer]

79. If they were smart they would offer to settle before he sought out an attorney.

They are almost never smart. Instead they will pay their own attorneys a lot of money, pay out more in settlement, and the poor man will get less after attorney's fees and expenses.

Job security for attorneys like myself, but I could be happy doing something else if wrong doers suddenly started doing right. With human nature such that it is we all know that will never happen.

[BSdetect]

7. meanwhile drumph is raking in cash from his golf trips and all sorts of scams

[ck4829]

11. I deposit over a thousand dollars every once in a while and nobody calls the police over it...

Oh right, I'm white though.

[jberryhill]

15. Do you cash checks on banks other than yours?

This was not depositing a check. This was cashing a check.

I've had tellers call the check issuer in instances where I have attempted to cash a check at a bank where I do not have an account.

[BootinUp]

21. Yep. Nt

[AJT]

27. They called the cops......not normal.

[jberryhill]

72. I didn't say it was

I was replying to a response about depositing checks.

[MyOwnPeace]

28. It's one thing to call the employer......

it's another to call the cops!

[LanternWaste]

33. How many times were you cuffed and detained when you did so?

[onit2day]

66. Tellers will not cash cks for large amounts when they can't contact ck issuer

Even when you have an account with the bank you can only get half the cash from a government ck unless your balance is far above the ck amount. Makes no sense to me. Meanwhile Trump and Kushner are selling missiles to Turkey to get loans for real estate. Traitorous bastards. Selling the country out for personal greed.

[FakeNoose]

40. The bank was so wrong to do this

... but the guy could have been a little smarter about the way he did it too.

I'm not blaming the victim! I'm saying that the bank would have been way less nervous if he had opened an account first and deposited the check into his new account. Most banks extend courtesies when someone becomes a new customer rather than cashing the check, and walking out with the cash in their pocket. This would be true for any race or gender - show the bank you're going to be a regular customer by opening an account.

Even better, the guy could have gone to the bank where the check was drawn from, in other words the employer's bank, and there probably would have been no nervousness about it at all.

[exboyfil]

58. That should be handled by policy

No cashing checks without an account. Usually checks need to clear before the funds are distributed.

These rules would need to apply to everyone. You see what happens when it is handled on a case by case basis.

[FakeNoose]

60. Yes the bank was wrong to call the cops

The guy was leaving anyway, after they told him they couldn't cash it. He did everything right and this wasn't his fault at all. This was definitely a case of racial profiling. I find it surprising that the police cuffed him though.

[exboyfil]

64. The bank also lied on the 911 call

I think they are in for a big settlement on that point.

LEOs by policy cuff suspects for their own safety. I would give them a break on this one given they were told that the man was committing fraud.

Since the bank lied in the 911 call, I wonder if they can be criminally prosecuted?

[csziggy]

69. It's not clear but it seems as though he did go to a branch of the back where the check was drawn

The bank had his employer's number - and the story does not say Mr. McCowns gave it to them. The only way they would have that phone number would be if the employer banked with them or someone did some internet research - and I doubt tellers have access to a computer at work with internet access.

From the various stories (most of which are identical) I don't see that Mr. McCowns did anything wrong - unless you think that he was wrong to not be ready to open an account with a bank that was already showing signs of disbelieving and disrespecting him when he first presented his pay check.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

12. This wypipo shit has got to stop!!

[jberryhill]

13. I had that happen to me a couple of times

There was a brief period of time years ago where I had some financial challenges, and it was faster for me to cash my paycheck at the bank on which it was issued, which had an office in the building where I worked; and then cross the street to my bank to deposit the cash.

So, I would usually cash my paycheck and walk across the street to deposit the wad of cash from my job as an associate at a law firm.

On more than one occasion, the tellers would call upstairs to my employer to confirm that they had in fact issued my paycheck.

This went on for a couple of months, and they would typically recognize me and the amount of the check. But, once in a while if new staff was there, they'd have to check with a supervisor or call upstairs to my employer.

My employer always answered the phone, so I don't know how it would have gone if they didn't.

[HopeAgain]

26. Pretty sure they wouldn't have called the cops

If you are white.

[yardwork]

34. You were detained by police and handcuffed?

[jberryhill]

71. Reading is fundamental

"My employer always answered the phone, so I don't know how it would have gone if they didn't."

[yardwork]

82. Back at you. "This happened to me."

No, it didn't.

[CreekDog]

89. good job yardwork

[CreekDog]

90. you wouldn't correct your error if you said the sky was made of dirt

you have poor judgement and lack self awareness.

and though this is old, nothing has changed.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10022681898

[xor]

70. The confirmation of validity is expected

I too have cashed a few checks at the banks that were not my own, and them validating the check is legit is something to be expected.

I don't think that's the issue here, but rather the fact they called the police on the dude. That baffles my mind because it's like a rather standard sized payroll check that doesn't seem out of the ordinary. If they couldn't confirm the validity, then all they had to do was ask him to return when they could.

[CreekDog]

88. Post you're responding to says "...bank calls cop on black man"

Jberryhill says in response to that post:

"I had that happen to me a couple of times..."

----

so basically a practicing attorney has no idea what the hell he is talking about, unless he has had a bank call the cops on him and he's a black man.

[whathehell]

14. Unfuckingbelievable..

Seriously...Bad enough they wouldn't cash his check, but a moron actually Called The Cops?!
I hope he sues their dumb asses.

[tblue37]

36. And LIED to them. nt

[whathehell]

59. Lying to the cops is a chargeable offense..

A head's gotta roll here.

[William Seger]

17. "Sorry" is free

[Aviation Pro]

18. Not bragging...

Last edited Wed Dec 19, 2018, 03:48 PM - Edit history (1)

...but I've walked into my branch with checks in the low five-figures and was able to conduct my transactions with nary a thought of being profiled.


Maybe my bank's tellers are less vigilant.


Or more than likely because I'm one of the whitest white men on the face of the planet.


Passive-aggressive racism sucks.

[marybourg]

20. The key may be "my branch". This man did not have

an account at the bank he tried to cash the check at. Of course, that doesn’t excuse them calling the cops. But calling the payor, yeah that’s pretty standard now. Some banks don’t cash checks for non-customers period.

[Anon-C]

76. +1

[MrsCoffee]

19. Fuck your sorry. Who was fired for this racist shit?

[obamanut2012]

22. The 911 call has the head teller telling 911 the check is fraudulent

And that a crime is being committed.

The guy complied with their protocol, but hey, that branch had had 11 bad checks in like three months, so I have no HUGE problem if they passed since he didn't have an account there and they couldn't get hold of his employer (although I bet they would have been okay with his two forms of ID and fingerprint if he was white. But, it should have stopped there.

NO reason to call the cops, and to say AS A FACT the check was fake?!

I hope he sues.

The cops actually did what they should have done, it is the bank employees' fault.

Huntington needs to do better than this dumbass apology.

[irisblue]

24. I'm hoping that he goes to the Ohio Civil Rights Comission in Cleveland

And files charges ASAP. They messed up hard.

[JustAnotherGen]

25. Now they know

They can get away with it.

[MyOwnPeace]

29. After all the publicity.........

I'm not so sure "they know" that they can get away with it.

[JustAnotherGen]

31. If it happened to me, my brother

My nephews - and they didn't get fired -

You bet their asses those 'tellers' know they can get away with it.


I want them fired and cashing paycheck to paycheck to live.

I'm fucking fed up with white racist micro aggression.

It gets us killed.

Blah blah blah blah - yeah yeah - right right. Black folks. We KNOW.

[MyOwnPeace]

35. I have NO problem

with what you state.

My comment was based on what the bank has done and could possibly still be doing.
I agree, someone should lose their job. I also would like to see some kind of fine/penalty on the bank itself, but I wonder about the legal ability to do so.

Yeah, ENOUGH of the "whites calling the cops" BS - it is wrong.

[Merlot]

30. Hopefully he'll be cashing much larger checks in the future

One from the police department, one from the bank.

[JustAnotherGen]

32. Amen to this

[RVN VET71]

41. Sorry, but the cops did what they get paid to do.

The bank, on the other hand, needs to suffer, the 911 caller needs to be fired. An apology hardly cuts it.

More to the point, if this sort of thing happens regularly to people of color, it needs to be stopped and monetary and other penalties need to be extracted from the guilty racist parties.

[JCanete]

50. I don't get why they had to handcuff him and put him in the squad car on a bank's suspicions.

I don't know that that is standard procedure and I very much doubt that this is the way they operate in every instance. It seems excessive. It could be that there is too much faith put on institutions like banks to have gotten this right, but I still find their response well over the top. There was no indication that he was going to get violent, and his vehicle was there, so what would be the point of fleeing the crime, aside of risking getting shot?

[dsc]

37. So this paycheck which was too high was $1,000?

I am no 1%er but my paycheck, for a month, is over three times that. Even bi weekly I would be over $1000. Heck even weekly that would be only 52k after taxes, not a pittance but not a kings ransom either.

[OMGWTF]

38. SUE THE BANK!!!

[lsewpershad]

39. Wonder

What would have happened if he had resisted being handcuffed?

[LakeArenal]

42. The "apology" is almost worse..

“Highest ethical standards” my ass.

Screw your “standards”. Your staff are liars.

How about civility, courtesy, honesty and professionalism.

If that is where the man’s employer banks, should close their account.

AND SUE THEM ALL!!!

[Pisces]

43. Another day as a person of color going about their business in America! Crazy!!!!!

[JCanete]

45. Cops also entirely out of line here, not doing their job well. A call should not result in being

handcuffed and put in the squad car. There was no obvious threat of violence or suggestion that this person might flee the scene, and all this on only a banks suspicions.

[angrychair]

46. Perspective

Black man: $1000 paycheck can’t be real because it’s so much money


Trump: stolen millions of dollars and defraud the IRS for millions but...nothing.

[gratuitous]

47. "We accept responsibility"

Gee, that's mighty white of ya! Since you were the fuckers who called the cops on the guy in the first fucking place. Oh, and you "accept responsibility" for your own interactions with Mr. McCowns. Is there someone else who was being held unfairly responsible for what you fucking did?

God damn but this is the worst of corporate weaselspeak. You "accept responsibility" for what you indisputably did. Is that the end of it, then?

[ProfessorGAC]

53. Yeah, Exactly Who Else Was Supposed To Accept Responsibility?

Other than, as you said, THE BANK THAT THE PEOPLE THAT DID THIS WORK FOR! There's this pesky thing called Agency Law.

[zipplewrath]

48. The caller should be in trouble

Whomever called 911 needs to get into SOME trouble for inaccurately reporting the situation. They had absolutely no evidence of any crime being committed. What they told the 911 center was intentionally inflated.

[dlk]

49. I Hope McCowns Sues - Unfortunately, This is What Change Sometimes Requires

What an outrage! Unless there is a penalty, this ugly behavior will only continue and grow. Trump and the GOP have emboldened racists to an alarming degree. It must stop.

[USALiberal]

51. Hands cuffs? Fucking coward cops. Nt

[aquamarina]

52. That's it?

This bank and its employees are pathetic. They need to pick up the phone or send someone to his house and apologize in person, pay all costs for his "detainment," make a sizable donation to the local NAACP, and make every one of their employees undergo racial training. I am beyond sick of the endless stories about this kind of crap.

[onecaliberal]

54. Pull your money if you live there.

[MagickMuffin]

55. Back to the drawing board

Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical standards in how we operate, hire and train colleagues, and interact with the communities we have the privilege of serving.”

Obviously your training sucks!!!

“He’s trying to cash a check and the check is fraudulent. It does not match our records,” said the teller to a 9-1-1 operator.

They claimed the check was fraudulent, however, IT WASN'T, not even close. Whoever called 911 should loss their job just for the fact they made that claim which was FALSE.

[hibbing]

56. A thousand dollars? Good lord

When I saw the headline I thought it was going to be a large amount of money like 10K or something. I was fortunate enough to deposit a non-work check for 10K at a bank, got asked for ID and the teller had a supervisor come over to do something, other than that, no problem. Of course I'm white.


Peace

[onethatcares]

61. when I saw that headline i thought

it had to be BOA or Wells Fargo.

Now I have to add Huntington to the list of banks I will never open an account at.

The first two charge a $7.00 cashing fee if you don't have an account at their bank, along with a bunch of
plastic people in khakis and blue shirts with shit eating smiles on their faces as they point you to the line
of non account holders.

[rockfordfile]

62. The cops and the idiots who called them should be fired.

We should get names of the people. That some messed up crap.

[LisaL]

77. Cops were told the guy tried to cash a fraudulent check.

What exactly would you expect them to do?

[swishyfeet]

86. That's absurd

Bad things happen at banks, including massive amounts of fraud and there is no perfect way to verify the authenticity of a check. Bank employees are on high alert to prevent theft and sometimes good people make mistakes. You think tellers go through a week-long course on how to spot a thief?

In my youth I worked for a bank for a year and a half and was robbed three times. Those robberies were a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the theft from fraudulent checks.

I'm sure things could have been handled much better but mistakes do in fact, happen.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

91. Just curious.....

since you're familiar with these systems, what could have been the basis for a bank employee thinking a check is fraudulent?

To me, that's saying they believe the customer has forged or somehow modified that check. If the employer who wrote the check had done so fraudulently, they certainly would not have called the cops on the presenter of the check but instead called for an investigation of the man's employer.

It also brings up the question of what is a bank employee supposed to do when they observe a document they believe is fraudulent? Are they required to secure the item or hand it back to the customer?

I understand the circumstances here, as I've ran into this during out-of-state construction jobs where it's hard as hell to get paychecks cashed. Smart construction firms set up a bank account at a local bank so workers can get their money quickly.

They should have just sent this man on his way after clearly explaining to him why they refused the check.

[Xipe Totec]

63. Huntington , please write your apology on the back of the punitive damages settlement check. nt

[rockfordfile]

65. Huntington is supporting the racism of some its employees.

[xor]

67. A little over $1,000 doesn't seem like something that would raise red flags

After taxes and stuff, that's like what? $16-$18/hr for 80 hours?

A few times over the years I had some strange interactions trying to cash checks at banks that are not my own. Them usually asking why I am not depositing it into my own bank, and then going through the process of asking for ID, fingerprints, and even asking for a bank card from my own bank. And for some reason they like to charge to cash their own checks.

They didn't call the cops on me the times I did that. I am going to assume others have cashed checks like that too without having the police called.

[sdfernando]

68. Thats it? WTF?!?!?!?

Someone at that bank, or someones need to be fired!

Their ""highest ethical standards and training"" need serious review.

I'm tired of this shit!!!!

[leftyladyfrommo]

74. Banks here in KCMO won't cash checks unless

you have an acct. You have to go to your bank or to the bank the ck is drawn on.

I can see them refusing to cash the ck if they couldn't verify funds but I can't imagine why they called the police.

I worked in banks for years.

[Iggo]

80. I can easily imagine why they called the police.

[leftyladyfrommo]

83. Trying to cash a phony ck is a common scam.

Banks are always on alert for this kind of scam. Someone coming in who does not have an acct is a huge red flag. Why didn't he go to his own bank? Sets off all kinds of alarm bells.

But usually someone trying to cash a stolen ck would be gone pretty fast when he realized bank personnel were suspicious. And a crook wouldn't give his id and fingerprint. Now they sometimes steal id and checks .

Scammers are incredibly bold sometimes. I can see why they would be concerned.

I saw this happen one day when a man brought in a payroll ck and he didn't have an acct. And the check was on really thin paper. They just told him they couldn't take it and to go to the bank it was drawn on.

If they really think someone is trying to cash a bogus or stolen ck they might stall until the police get there but they probably would call the police. That would be up to a manager. The teller would call a manger to handle the situation. But they would have the cameras on to record the whole thing.

[swishyfeet]

85. Lefty is correct

If you haven't worked for a bank you may not understand how big a deal fraud is, and that calling the cops isn't so outrageous. Tellers are under a lot of pressure to make sure they aren't cashing a bad check.

They may have been wrong in this case and racial profiling is a serious problem in this country, but that conclusion can't be reached without more information. Perhaps they honestly thought it was a bogus check. Checks aren't like $100 bills with all kinds of tricks to prevent counterfeiting.

[Iggo]

87. Real quick, from the post I was responding to: "...but I can't imagine why they called the police."

And then I responded: "I can easily imagine why they called the police."

That's it.

I'm out.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

75. PPsssstttttttt

*whispering* This is white privilege in action...………...

[Lucky Luciano]

78. Crush this bank. Big time.

[LiberalFighter]

81. Whoever called 911 should be fired.

That is not what 911 is to be used for.

[Alea]

84. He needs to get paid

It's fortunate he wasn't shot 47 times exiting his vehicle.