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U.S. NEWS Thursday 13 december 2018

Lawsuit: Police chief condones white officers’ racism, abuse

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN said Wednesday she can’t ficers “on a regular basis,” wall of silence,” Perez said. bring back public hang-
Associated Press comment on pending liti- added Deborah Jeon, le- Dana Vickers Shelley, exec- ings.” A complaint about
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) gation. The police depart- gal director for the Ameri- utive director of the ACLU the texts apparently didn’t
— White police officers in ment isn’t named as a de- can Civil Liberties Union of of Maryland, said officers lead to any investigation or
a Washington, D.C., sub- fendant, but Stawinski and Maryland. deserve praise and not discipline for the three offi-
urb have used racist slurs, cers, the suit adds.
circulated text messages In August, Stawinski apolo-
expressing a desire to “rein- gized for a since-deleted
stitute lynching” and put a Facebook Live video in
black face and Afro wig on which an officer speak-
a training dummy, accord- ing to children refers to a
ing to a federal lawsuit filed “black bad guy.” The of-
Wednesday. ficer, who was giving a K-9
Civil rights groups sued demonstration, said police
Maryland’s Prince George’s dogs could smell detect a
County and its police chief person’s odor “if a black
on behalf of several current bad guy is running and
and former officers. The suit drops” an item.
accuses police officials of Perez said the officer’s re-
condoning racist, abusive mark on the video isn’t an
behavior by white officers aberration.
and retaliating against “We see that on the street
black and Hispanic officers from other officers,” he
who complain about mis- said.
conduct. In February 2017, Perez
The suit claims the county’s showed Stawinski copies of
police chief, Henry Stawin- photographs of the black
ski, has allowed racism to face and Afro wig that
“thrive” in his department someone had placed on a
since his appointment training dummy, according
nearly two years ago. It to the lawsuit.
seeks unspecified mon- “Chief Stawinski subse-
etary damages, including Prince George’s County Police Capt. Joseph Perez, center, a plaintiff and president of Hispanic quently denied seeing the
punitive damages, as well National Law Enforcement Association National Capital Region, speaks during a news briefing in photos prior to a later press
as a court order requiring unincorporated Prince George County, near College Park, Md. Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. conference,” the suit says.
the county to abolish racial Associated Press The officers named as
discrimination within its po- plaintiffs in the suit also are
lice department. three other police officials Police Capt. Joseph Perez, punishment for blowing the represented by the Wash-
In October 2017, Stawin- are. The suit claims they a plaintiff and president whistle on racist policing ington Lawyers’ Commit-
ski said the Justice Depart- have “perpetuated a long- of Hispanic National Law practices. “Any police de- tee for Civil Rights and Ur-
ment was investigating al- standing pattern and prac- Enforcement Association partment that fosters a cul- ban Affairs.
legations that the depart- tice of discrimination.” National Capital Region, ture of racial harassment Prince George’s County
ment’s employment prac- Justice Department spokes- claims he has been passed and retaliation against offi- abuts the nation’s capital
tices discriminated against woman Kelly Laco said in over for promotions be- cers of color within its ranks to the east. About 64 per-
Hispanics and blacks. At an email that she can’t cause he has spoken out cannot hope to gain the cent of the county’s more
the time, Stawinski said confirm or deny the “exis- against discriminatory and community trust and sup- than 900,000 residents are
he would cooperate with tence or nonexistence” of retaliatory misconduct. port that is so necessary black, while nearly 27 per-
the federal investigation investigations. “The minute that you open for achieving better public cent of residents are white.
and end any “structures or However, one of the attor- up your mouth and say, safety for everyone,” she Whites account for 47 per-
practices” that negatively neys who filed the lawsuit ‘Hey, that’s wrong,’ guess said. The suit claims three cent of the department’s
impact officers. said the federal investiga- what? You’re not a team white officers repeatedly officers, with blacks ac-
Police department spokes- tion remains open. Investi- player any more. You’re a circulated racist text mes- counting for nearly 43 per-
woman Jennifer Donelan gators are interviewing of- snitch. You broke that blue sages such as “we should cent, the suit says.q