• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • Improve your pistol-handling skills
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Do cops need more training?
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      Seeking the right kind of help
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
        Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
        Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
        NYPD reports surge in hate crimes against New York’s Jewish...
        Law enforcement cracks down on illegal sale of “gas station...
    • Labor
      • LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
        “You can’t play politics with public safety”
        “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
        California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
        Seattle City Council approves new agreement with police union
    • Tech
      • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
        The use of military assets by U.S. police
        What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
        Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
        North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
    • Training
      • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
        Four things you need to know to control escalation
        Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
        Using learning factors to influence your performance
        Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
    • Policy
      • Federal court rules Pennsylvania township’s ban on thin blue line...
        Texas House passes controversial immigration bill
        Supreme Court rejects Derek Chauvin’s appeal in George Floyd killing
        Ohio lawmaker proposes legislation to allocate marijuana sales tax...
        All courage is not physical
    • Health/Wellness
      • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
        Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
        The depression–anger cycle
        What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
        Depression screening
    • Community
      • Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
        New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
        The nobility of serving
        “The smile is a universal language”
        THC-infused candy incident raises safety concerns in California city
    • Offbeat
      • Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
        Massachusetts community steps in to protect black bear “Pumpkin”...
        Florida moms call cops on school librarians for distributing...
        Authorities seize whopping $8.5 million worth of psychedelic...
        12-year-old car thief takes SUV on wild joyride across NYC
    • We Remember
      • Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
        “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
        “You’re my hero”
        Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
        Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
  • On the Job
    • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
      Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
      Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
      NYPD reports surge in hate crimes against New York’s Jewish...
      Law enforcement cracks down on illegal sale of “gas station...
  • Labor
    • LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
      “You can’t play politics with public safety”
      “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
      California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
      Seattle City Council approves new agreement with police union
  • Tech
    • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
      The use of military assets by U.S. police
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
  • Training
    • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
      Four things you need to know to control escalation
      Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
      Using learning factors to influence your performance
      Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
  • Policy
    • Federal court rules Pennsylvania township’s ban on thin blue line...
      Texas House passes controversial immigration bill
      Supreme Court rejects Derek Chauvin’s appeal in George Floyd killing
      Ohio lawmaker proposes legislation to allocate marijuana sales tax...
      All courage is not physical
  • Health/Wellness
    • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
      Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
      The depression–anger cycle
      What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
      Depression screening
  • Community
    • Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
      New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
      The nobility of serving
      “The smile is a universal language”
      THC-infused candy incident raises safety concerns in California city
  • Offbeat
    • Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
      Massachusetts community steps in to protect black bear “Pumpkin”...
      Florida moms call cops on school librarians for distributing...
      Authorities seize whopping $8.5 million worth of psychedelic...
      12-year-old car thief takes SUV on wild joyride across NYC
  • We Remember
    • Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
      “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
      “You’re my hero”
      Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
      Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
  • Between the Lines
    • Debunking the perpetual narrative of racial bias in policing
      The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Labor

University of Washington campus police officers file lawsuit over claims of racism

APB Team Published July 5, 2021 @ 1:00 pm PDT

IStock.com/july7th

Five campus police officers at the University of Washington (UW) claim to have been subjected to “unbearable racism” on the job, and are filing a lawsuit against the university for millions of dollars in damages.

One of the Black officers, Russell Ellis, 49, said that as he was finishing his shift one day, his boss offered him a watermelon energy drink and said, laughing, “I thought all you guys liked watermelon and Popeyes chicken.”

Apparently, many other officers have had identical experiences at the university, and it wasn’t the first time Ellis had faced such discrimination there.

According to the Seattle Times, five officers from the University campus police filed for $8 million dollars in damages, citing a culture of racism at the university that includes racial slurs, hateful comments about black people, and hostility towards them and other African Americans in the community.

The lawsuit contains dozens of racist incidents directed towards the officers over the past several years. In one, Officer Karinn Young claimed she found bananas placed outside of her locker, with a note that referred to her as a “monkey” and that said, “here’s your lunch.”

Officer Hamani Nowlen reported a situation where a white supervisor hit him with a sticklike object and uttered, “You people should be used to being hit with these.” 

Finally, Officer Damien Taylor said he overheard White officers discussing the George Floyd case, and one said, “His Black ass got what he deserved.”

The officers claim in their filings that the workplace conduct has made their jobs “unbearable.” According to the filings, not only were the supervisors aware of the conduct, but they even took part in it themselves.

Other police departments across the country have been criticized by African American officers as being discriminatory and hostile towards them.

For example, in Columbus, Ohio, and Prince George’s County, Maryland, Black officers have filed racial discrimination lawsuits claiming to have been subjected to racial slurs. In Prince George’s County, more than a dozen Black officers complained that they faced harsher punishments than other employees, in addition to greater retaliation for raising complaints about said discrimination. 

UW, a Seattle-based university that happens to be one of the most social justice-oriented and liberal in the country, said it was shocked to hear about the allegations. The university police department even boasted about how it trains its officers to beware of “implicit bias.”

Victor Balta, a university spokesman, stated, “Any one of the incidents described here would prompt an immediate investigation and appropriate disciplinary action based on the investigation’s findings.”

Ellis began his career in law enforcement in 1999. He said he was swayed to join the industry in order to change the environment after he was wrongfully pulled over and had a shotgun pointed to his head by a police officer. After telling one of his football coaches who also worked as a county sheriff’s deputy about the incident, he was recommended to join the profession so he could work to change it.  

“He said that to change law enforcement, sometimes you have to get involved,” Ellis said. “We don’t have very many Black police officers. That was a big part of me thinking I need to be in law enforcement to change the environment of law enforcement.”

When he joined the University of Washington Police in 2007, he was already beginning to see problems. In 2008, several current and former employees filed a civil rights lawsuit against the university detailing complaints of discrimination and harassment against Black, Jewish and female officers. 

Officer Gabriel Golden was shocked by an incident that occurred within a few weeks after he started in 2017. He had offered to grab a bag as a favor for a supervisor, who is white, but he said the officer responded by saying: “You kind of have to because I own you, don’t I?”

Golden also mentioned that White colleagues were complaining that the Chief, John Vinson (who is Black), was hiring too many Black officers. After he was accused by officers of creating an atmosphere of hostility and unethical behavior, he was assigned to a senior administrative position.

“It progressively got worse and worse,” Golden said about the hostile atmosphere. “I went from loving my job, loving going to work every day, to starting to dread going in to work because I didn’t know what would happen next.”

Now the university has 60 days to pay or settle, after which the plaintiffs can go to court.

Balta said that the school plans to launch its own investigation into the allegations.

“The UW is committed to maintaining a fair, equitable and inclusive environment and provides employees with many avenues for reporting inappropriate or discriminatory behavior so they can be addressed immediately,” he said.

Categories: Labor Tags: lawsuit, racism, University of Washington, Police, Law Enforcement, campus police officers

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying firefighting helicopter
  • Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
  • Federal court rules Pennsylvania township’s ban on thin blue line flag unconstitutional
  • LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
  • Texas House passes controversial immigration bill
  • “You can’t play politics with public safety”
  • “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
  • Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences cardiac emergency in Massachusetts jiu-jitsu class
  • California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary increase for second straight year
  • Supreme Court rejects Derek Chauvin’s appeal in George Floyd killing

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

Improve your pistol-handling skills

Improve your pistol-handling skills

October 21, 2023

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

October 20, 2023

Do cops need <em>more</em> training?

Do cops need more training?

October 17, 2023

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

October 16, 2023

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.