Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Complaint Filed Against Black Police Lieutenant Over Book She Published Alleging Racism (Video)

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Lt. Melissa McFadden of the Columbus Police Dept.

*A retired Columbus police sergeant has filed a complaint against a Black lieutenant who recently published a book detailing what she said was racism she observed and experienced within the division.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, the complaint was filed with the Columbus Division of Police against Lt. Melissa McFadden after the September publication of her book, “Walking the Thin Black Line: Confronting Racism in the Columbus Division of Police.”

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Walking the Thin Black Line: Confronting Racism in the Columbus Division of Police – Melissa McFadden

Sgt. Trent Taylor, who retired earlier this year, said in his complaint that McFadden wrote in her book that he retired because of Black Lives Matter protests. Taylor said in his complaint that he did not retire for that reason. Taylor, who is white, said he was in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) and was eligible to retire at any point of his choosing. He said watching what he felt was the lack of response from the city and the division to the riots Downtown and businesses being destroyed was merely the last straw.

“She flat out lied. I’m not a racist,” Taylor said. “Her book is complete fiction and flat-out lies.”

McFadden is accused of violating a division directive which states that while acting as a member of the division, “personnel shall not publicly criticize or ridicule the Division, its policies, or other personnel by speech, writing, or other expression.”

A spokesman for the Department of Public Safety said McFadden remains on duty and it has not yet been determined who will investigate Taylor’s complaint.

McFadden is no stranger to internal investigations of her conduct. In 2017, a complaint was filed against her alleging she had a “Black militancy mindset” and fostering a hostile workplace environment of “us against them.” In the complaint, a Black sergeant said McFadden had given him a better evaluation because she “did not believe in Black-on-Black crime” and allegedly used the “n-word” in conversation with another Black officer.

Then-chief Kim Jacobs recommended McFadden be demoted and terminated, but Safety Director Ned Pettus Jr. later determined the allegations against McFadden were not sustained.

McFadden reacted to her exoneration in the interview below:

McFadden also has an ongoing federal lawsuit against the division, alleging she had been targeted and discriminated against because of her race.

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