A new batch of internal memos related to the administrative turmoil within the Greensboro Police Department arrived in my inbox today courtesy of the Rev. Cardes Brown, president of the Greensboro NAACP.
The documents introduce a new player, Officer Deborah Thomas, currently assigned to the legal support squad. In a Sept. 13 disciplinary appeal to City Manager Rashad Young, Thomas notes that she has a pending Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint, and alleges that she has been the subject of a string of "malicious administrative investigations" by Sgt. Jonathan Heard. It might be considered an irony that Heard is a plaintiff in a 2009 federal discrimination lawsuit against the department.
In an Oct. 8 complaint to Young, Thomas alleges that she remains in a "hostile work environment" as a result of Lt. GA Hunt and Sgt. DJ Davis' handling of Thomas' appeal to Young.
A third document reveals that Young upheld the termination of Officer AJ Blake in a Sept. 30 decision. Blake files a complaint as a private citizen and asks Young to investigate his disciplinary treatment. Blake alleges that a scheme was undertaken by police administration to terminate him as a ploy to dodge responsibility for investigating a complaint by Blake about a bogus violation related to the officer waving at Latin Kings leader Jorge Cornell.
Finally, Officer Robert Reyes persists in outlining what he contends is continued discrimination and retaliation in a memo to Young, despite the city manager's determination that the issues be handled within Reyes' chain of command.
Among Reyes' concerns is the handling of a batch of polygraph examinations in a disciplinary process that resulted in his reinstatement following suspension with a recommendation for termination. Reyes cites a statement by Chief Ken Miller quoted in YES! Weekly last month: "I have an opinion about how a polygraph should be administered. They didn't do anything wrong, but it is inconsistent with the way I think it should be used if we're going to treat employees the way they deserve to be treated."
Reyes argues, "Police Chief Miller contradicts himself in his statement to YES! Weekly. If Assistant Chief Crotts used the polygraph in a way that prevents employees from being treated the way they deserve to be treated, then something was done wrong. What is Chief Miller's opinion, on when and how polygraphs should be administered? This information should be shared with the public for transparency within the police department. What does the law and police policy state as it relates to polygraph procedures and administration?"
On Sept. 30, Greensboro police officers, members of the North Carolina Latin Kings street organization, students, pastors and other citizens met with officials at the US Department of Justice in Washington to request a federal investigation of the Greensboro Police Department. Greensboro Justice Summer will provide details during a community meeting tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Bethel AME Church, located at 200 Regan St.
2 comments:
Posting this comment on behalf of Tony Wilkins: "Jordan, just an opinion. I believe you guys would get many more blog comments if it wasn't so difficult to leave one. The blog continues to tell me "The characters you entered didn't match the word verification. Please try again.". I don't think people want to have the hassle of having to sign in to Google every time they want to comment.
(I tried to leave this on your blog but it would not post. You're welcome to post the comment there if you'd like.)
Tony, I just had a brief discussion with Brian Clarey about this. I don't think we're going to loosen our restrictions. Without requiring commenters to register with one of the accounts listed below, we have no means of discouraging personal attacks and rhetorical nastiness by people who hide behind anonymity. Part of our role here is to maintain a civil discourse and try to bridge some of the partisan divides. Is it that big of a deal to set up an account before you comment?
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