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A black police lieutenant from Columbus, Ohio, is facing a lawsuit brought by 10 white and black officers in her department, accusing her of ‘discrimination’ and creating a ‘hostile’ work environment.
Melissa McFadden, 50, has faced complaints dating back to 2017 in which she has been accused of grooming young black cops to generate an ‘us versus them’ mentality against her white colleagues.
McFadden is said to have shown support for ‘defunding the police’ despite it being her occupation for the past 25 years.
She has also accused the Columbus force of being racist and has detailed her experience in a new book called The Thin Black Line as a result of which she is now the subject of an internal affairs investigation.
But now the lieutenant has been accused of violating a division directive that said ‘personnel shall not publicly criticize the division’.
Melissa McFadden, 50, a black lieutenant with the Columbus Police in Ohio has accused her own department of failing to investigate discrimination complaints and of being ‘racist’
‘I am not here as a division employee but here as Melissa McFadden. As long as I am speaking on something of public concern I am okay to do that.
McFadden has also documented the racism she claims to have witnessed during her 25-year career in a new book
‘And these are things that are concerns to the citizens such as racism, sexism, corruption, all those things I speak about in my book relate to those topics,’ McFadden told the Daily Beast.
When it comes to her position, McFadden now says she’s bulletproof.
‘Once I hit my 25 years I was entitled to my pension and no matter what they do to me I am still going to get my pension.
‘So that is what I mean I am bulletproof now,’ she said.
McFadden has faced 23 complaints from internal affairs during her quarter-century career.
Thirteen of the complaints have occurred within the last four years.
The Daily Beast states two were for ‘rude or discourteous language or actions,’ while one was for using mace on a citizen.
Only one allegation, for the use rude language or actions, was sustained, in 2004.
When it comes to her position, McFadden now says she’s bulletproof. ‘Once I hit my 25 years I was entitled to my pension and no matter what they do to me I am still going to get my pension. So that is what I mean I am bulletproof now,’ she states in the book’s introduction
McFadden and Black Lives Matter supporters held a protest in front of the Division of Police in downtown Columbus, Ohio last October to support McFadden and to continue to speak out against police brutality and racism within the Columbus Police Department (CPD)
In her book, McFadden has occasionally used pseudonyms while on other occasions has named names including that of Chief Tom Quinlan whom she claims is ‘racist.’
‘The reason why I said their names is they have not been held accountable. No one has been disciplined for any of the things in my book, they get away with it. This is my way of saying enough. Exposing them for who they are and maybe this is a certain level of accountability to me,’ McFadden explained.
‘I believe I was discriminated against by Chief Quinlan. So therefore I believe he does practice in a systemic racism environment that we have. He participates in it and he doesn’t do anything to resolve the problems.’
McFadden has been the subject of a number of internal-affairs investigations and complaints by coworkers. She has faced 23 complaints from internal affairs during her quarter-century career. 13 of the complaints have occurred within the last four years
McFadden has worked alongside a black Chief of Police, black Safety Director, and black Mayor but believes it makes little difference.
‘I find that a lot of times when black people get in positions of power they oftentimes forget where they came from. And as long as they are secure in their own right, their self-preservation, they don’t care about anything else,’ said McFadden.
‘Under their watch, the division became the whitest of all. We had less African Americans getting on under their watch so they are complicit in the systemic racism because they did nothing about it.
‘They’re upset because I exposed them I’m a whistleblower,’ she notes.
‘I am concerned about retaliation but I expect it. I put the book out knowing they will probably retaliate because they can’t help themselves, that is what they do,’ McFadden said. ‘The people I put in the book. It’s factual. So if they want to sue me I have lawyers on retainer. I am okay with that. But at the end of the day what I said in the book is true and can be backed up with facts.’
The Columbus Division of Police did not comment on the issues surrounding McFadden with a spokesperson declaring it to be ‘an ongoing legal and personnel matter.’
10 white and black officers are now planning to file a federal discrimination lawsuit against Police Lieutenant Melissa McFadden, seen left
Source: dailymail
