Prince George’s County (MD) Police Chief Hank Stawinski held a news conference to address a complaint filed with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) alleging racial discrimination, unfair promotional practices and disciplinary procedures within the police department.
The complaint was sent to the DOJ last October and is reportedly filed on behalf of more than 90 officers.
Police Chief Hank Stawinski said he has been attempting to contact the DOJ to get more details about the complaint, but has not been contacted.
While he waits, he has teamed up with local president of the Fraternal Order of Police “convening a panel of outside experts and union representation to examine the department’s practices, promotion system, and disciplinary procedures.”
Stawinski also addressed several photos that are part of this complaint. One of the photos is of a training dummy that apparently shows a black face pasted on it and an afro wig at its feet. The chief said this photo is believed to have be taken in 2015 or earlier because this particular piece of equipment has not been used since then.
Another photo shows a personalized license plate on an officer’s blue Chevrolet truck that reads “GFYOBMA.” Stawinski said the acronym GFY meant to be offensive. The photo is believed to have been taken last year and Stawinski learned about this license plate, he made it clear that the car was not permitted on police department property. He said he also looked into what he could and could not legally do because he did not feel that it was appropriate. He said the officer did end up removing the license plate from their vehicle.
