Black New Haven police officers are alleging racism, including the use of the N-word during a radio transmission in December.
The allegations have been revealed by three groups – the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers, the New Haven County Silver Shields and the New Haven Guardians.
Police Chief Dean Esserman said the department was investigating the use of a racial epithet over the radio on Dec. 30. The FBI was brought in for forensic work after the signal could not be traced to a specific radio unit, he said.
Esserman says racist behavior within the department will not be tolerated.
"Issues of race and culture are struggled with in America every day," Esserman said. "The New Haven Police Department will work to address these issues here at home with full openness and honesty."
The three groups also say someone drew a swastika on a cruiser in the police garage. Thirty officers were investigated, but the culprit wasn't identified.
John Williams, an attorney who presented the letter from the groups on Thursday, said there are also concerns that the police administration treats black officers as second-class citizens.
Esserman also has said there are pending charges against a sergeant who allegedly made a racially and sexually insensitive comment in front of a black female department employee.
Mayor Toni Harp said in a statement that she takes the concerns of the black officers seriously.
"My concern is compounded, however, to the extent any pattern of harassment or racism is identified, and warrants an important conversation about cultural sensitivity and awareness," she said. "That conversation is now taking place internally at the New Haven Police Department and also between the police department and my administration."
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
Comments
This could go both ways. This
This could go both ways. This could be taken as the officers joking with each other or them being racist. I would like to think that they would not mean it to be rude or disrespectful but it very well could have been. For the swastika on the police car, that very well could have been some teenagers deciding to be funny. They cannot really prevent graffiti form teenage delinquents. They seem to be doing everything they can to prevent this from happening anymore.
i agree with you, i just hope
i agree with you, i just hope that the swastika wasn't a part of the police department.. that just makes me feel like there is no hope if of all people, police officers are being the racist ones.
good cops bad cops
there are racists everywhere we go, even in the police department. they should get punished with the same severity the common citizen is punished with.