VALPARAISO | The city’s Advisory Human Relations Council will hold a special meeting Oct. 13 to announce its position on an August traffic stop arrest. The meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. at Valparaiso City Hall, is in response to the Aug. 29 arrest of Darryl Jackson Jr. in Valparaiso’s Hilltop neighborhood. Jackson, who is black, was arrested on charges of resisting law enforcement and refusing to identify himself following a traffic stop by officers with the Porter County Gang Task Force. Burns Harbor Patrolman Timothy Lucas, who is a member of the gang unit, arrested Jackson, who initially had been stopped by police for double parking on Monroe Street. At its regular meeting Sept. 22, the Human Relations Council agreed to review a video of the incident and take a position on the case. The panel is appointed by Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas, who earlier issued a statement saying the police officers’ conduct fell “short of the level of professionalism our citizens expect and deserve.” The panel is appointed by Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas, who earlier issued a statement saying the police officers’ conduct fell “short of the level of professionalism our citizens expect and deserve.” Residents who attended the Sept. 22 Human Relations Council meeting also expressed concern and outrage. Among their questions: Why was a Burns Harbor police officer making a stop/arrest in Valparaiso; was the vehicle stopped because all three occupants were black; and why did a double-parking incident result in an arrest. Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds said gang task force members go out twice a year to areas of concern around the county to combat drugs, guns, violence and other activities related to gangs. The locations are suggested by police chiefs in the various cities and towns, he said. “The police chief in Valparaiso recommended we go to that area (Hilltop),” Reynolds said. Reynolds said the gang task force is comprised of officers from many different police agencies, including Valparaiso, Portage, Burns Harbor, Ogden Dunes, the Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police. Reynolds and Burns Harbor Police Chief Mike Heckman have defended the arrest, saying officers acted by the book and there were no civil rights violations. In his report, the patrolman said he stopped Jackson's vehicle after watching him double park for a short time in front of a home on Monroe Street where another vehicle had done the same thing with people coming and going a short time earlier. "Due to my experience and training as a police officer this type of behavior is suspicious in high crime areas such as Hilltop," Lucas wrote in his report. After being stopped, Jackson repeatedly refused to exit his vehicle, refused to remove his hands from his pockets, refused to identify himself and was generally uncooperative, Lucas wrote in his report. Jackson then was arrested for resisting law enforcement. Police brought in a drug-sniffing dog to check out the vehicle after Jackson was taken into custody, but nothing illegal was discovered and the vehicle and passengers were released, according to the police report. Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel subsequently announced he would not pursue charges against Jackson. Gensel said he conducted a thorough review of the reports and video, and determined that a criminal prosecution was not appropriate. while the law spells out some of what should happen during traffic stops, police say much is dependent on the varying circumstances and the tone set by the parties involved. "Lot of this conversation revolves around respect and courtesy," said Pat Murray, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Questions about the rights of motorists and responsibilities of police during traffic stops was aroused recently in the wake of the arrest of a man in Valparaiso by a member of a countywide gang task force. Michigan resident Darryl Jackson Jr. was arrested shortly after 7 p.m. Aug. 29 on charges of resisting law enforcement and refusing to identify himself based on allegations he repeatedly refused to exit his vehicle, refused to remove his hands from his pockets, refused to identify himself and was generally uncooperative. Yet Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel opted not to pursue the case against Jackson after reviewing reports and the police video of the arrest. more in comments