Photo: @copsgdkp/TikTok
She filed a lawsuit.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Dec 05, 2022
In this day and age, most citizens are well aware that a male police officer is typically required to call a female officer or adhere to certain non-invasive methods when searching female “suspects.”
Those pesky rules didn’t stop one officer from inappropriately touching a mother he had pulled over during a traffic stop.
A TikToker by the name of Manny Splashiao shared a video of the appalling encounter.
Body-cam video shows the officer inappropriately touching a woman during a traffic stop.
Louisville Police Department Officer, Tyler Gelnett pulled a woman by the name of Kali Coates over for a routine traffic stop.
At the time of the incident, Gelnett was under the supervision of another officer who recorded everything on body cam.
Coates appears to be cooperative, but nervous as the video starts. She is rushed to the rear driver’s side of her Ford Escape with a visible look of concern on her face.
Officer Gelnett proceeds to look back and forth down the street as he pulls the anxious woman’s hands behind her back.
She smiles nervously, unsure what to think as Gelnett starts patting her down, moving the palm of his hands along her stomach, pelvic area, and thighs.
Coates alarm grows as the officer begins to grope her buttocks aggressively. This is when the supervising officer, still off camera, places a hand on Gelnett’s forearm to stop him.
He tells his partner, “Hey, hey, hold on. Stop. Stop. Time out. Time out. Go back there. Go back there.”
Officer Gelnett follows orders and walks out of camera range.
A stunned Coates says, “Jesus. So rude” softly, clearly unable to find the right words to describe the violation she had just experienced.
The recording officer asks the woman if she has anything on her and she replies that she does not. He asks her to “hang tight” for a moment.
She asks him if she can shut her car door and he agreed. This is when we learn that the woman’s daughter is waiting in the car.
A third male believed to be Coates’ boyfriend is heard having a conversation about what just happened with the supervising officer, who explains that Gelnett is "in training."
The boyfriend explains, “He is supposed to call a woman to pat her down.”
He, too, sounds unable to believe the actions of Officer Gelnett.
The supervising officer clears up the policy, offering, “With male officers, it’s supposed to be the back of the hand. So as soon as he did it wrong--”
He is interrupted by the distraught woman returning to the rear of her vehicle after making sure her child is safe.
The empathetic officer tells her, “Ma’am, listen to me. Ma’am, can you turn around?” as the woman turns away from the camera.
She does her best to explain how she’s feeling, stating, “I’m sorry. It’s just that he did… He put his fingers…”
While she is trying to explain the trauma that she had just experienced the supervising officer continues to apologize but also excuses Gelnett’s behavior as a lack of training.
The woman, again, explains that she does not have anything on her and suggested that a female officer should have been called to search her.
The officer recording the assault once again says that male officers can search female citizens but should only use the back of their hand.
Coates boyfriend then says, “That’s a violation right there,” certain that Gelnett had just disregarded departmental policy.
The supervising officer wanted to make it clear that he did the right thing. He told the pair, “I stopped him. I made him go to the back of the car.”
He continued, “It’s all being recorded. I want to let you know that. I want to reassure you of that.” The woman nods affirmatively while holding back tears.
Obviously, viewers were outraged by Gelnett’s disregard for the woman’s rights.
One person posted, “Shouldn’t he be trained beforehand? Is he actually 'practicing' on the public?
Many echoed those thoughts while others felt sorry for Coates. A woman commented, “She's scared to death! And who gets body searched like that for a traffic stop. Wow!!”
Louisville police have responded to the incident.
Since then, the woman filed a lawsuit against the city of Louisville and their police department, accusing Gelnett of placing his hands inside of her underwear during the search.
That lawsuit was settled for $50,000 for “extreme humiliation, embarrassment, loss of enjoyment of life, alienation, and mental anguish.”
For his actions, Gelnett was simply reassigned after his failure to follow standards. He remained with the department until November 2020, when he was charged with misconduct and drug trafficking.
Gelnett was accused of taking marijuana seized in traffic stops and giving it to an unnamed woman he had been dating.
He resigned from the department and pleaded guilty in February of 2021, only paid a fine of $500, and received a two-year conditional discharge from the department.
No word on whether or not Gelnett will be reinstated at the police department after his discharge expires, but no one would be surprised if he is, and that is a terrifying thought for the women of Louisville.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.