Two veteran Police Officers, one a Sergeant and the other an Officer, were terminated today after an internal affairs investigation revealed that they were involved in racial harassment against a fellow Officer that created a hostile work environment. The victim, who is also a Police Officer, made a complaint at the beginning of April of this year, that a fellow Officer had made numerous racially charged and derogatory comments to them over several years. The victim reportedly advised their Sergeant (supervisor), but there was no action taken to end the racial harassment. In fact, the incidents were never reported to Command Staff or Human Resources as required. The victim requested and was transferred to another shift. The allegations were thoroughly investigated by internal affairs and were sustained. Numerous witnesses and the aggressor’s own admission revealed that the victim Officer endured harassing comments toward their race, despite their request to stop.
The terminated Officer had been with the agency for approximately sixteen years and the terminated Sergeant (supervisor) for approximately five years. The Sergeant was also the supervisor over the aggressing Officer. Chief Mark Weeks said “The actions of these two former employees cannot and will not be tolerated at this agency. It is of great concern to me that a veteran law enforcement officer would engage in any type of harassment of anyone. The supervisor in this case failed the system for not reporting and/or stopping the harassment.”