P$IMWB -- Putting $ In Meter While Black
Disgustingly, the wrongfully detained black TV producer's arrest record probably won't go away.

Anita Bennett and Tim Kenneally write at The Wrap:

One week after the Beverly Hills Police Department admitted its officers had mistaken television producer Charles Belk for a bank robber and wrongfully detained him, Belk's arrest record remains on public file and a legal expert says it probably won't go away.

"Close to 100 percent of the time when someone is arrested, it will stay in that database," criminal defense attorney David Diamond of Diamond & Associates told TheWrap.

Diamond has no ties to Belk, but the attorney does have years of experience dealing with wrongful arrest cases. "It literally happens almost every single day," Diamond said. "Often times it's based on race and often times it's based on laziness by law enforcement agencies."

Belk, whose credits include "The Greatest Song" and "Douglass U," was suddenly taken into custody on Aug. 22 as he walked to his car to check the time on his parking meter. After the Hollywood producer wrote about the ordeal in a Facebook post, Beverly Hills police issued an apology saying it "deeply regrets" mistaking him for a criminal.

...Also on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department told TheWrap it is working on removing Belk's arrest record from the online database, but was unable to say how long the process would take.

As for Belk, he doesn't think enough is being done to clear his name. "It's unfair," he said, adding, "I want my fingerprints, mug shot and arrest record removed."

Diamond explained Belk has reason to be concerned. "If someone [a potential employer] does a criminal background check, it will show up," Diamond said.

But the attorney explained that not all hope is lost. "There is a petition called a Petition to Seal and Destroy An Arrest Record. He can file it with the arresting police agency."

However, Diamond cautioned, "more often than not, the Sheriff's Department says no."