A black police officer who received Ku Klux Klan notes from his white boss has filed a discrimination charge against his former employer, alleging he was harassed on an ‘ongoing basis’ because of his race.
The incident sparked outrage in the officer’s northern Ohio town, prompting Sheffield Lake to suspend former police chief Anthony Campo, who later retired.
For months, Sheffield Lake Police Officer Keith Pool’s identity has been a mystery. But on Thursday, he came forward to file the discrimination charge, the first step in preparing a lawsuit against Campo.
‘It was so demeaning,’ Pool said during a news conference, according to the Washington Post. ‘It was not a funny joke. It was offensive and humiliating, and beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in my entire career.’
Earlier this month, Pool’s attorney Ashlie Case Sletvold filed a discrimination charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, alleging harassment and discrimination on the basis of race.
His attorney also filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Ohio to compel the police department to provide public records that allegedly documented the race-based harassment Campo is accused of committing.
‘Invoking the KKK to harass a black police officer betrays American values and makes a mockery of the oath the ex-chief swore to serve and protect his community,’ Case Sletvold, told The Post.
‘Despite the harassment he endured, Officer Keith Pool will continue to bravely do his duty while shining a light on this shocking abuse.’
Earlier this year, Campo apologized in an interview with the Morning Journal. He told the paper that he is not a racist and said the incident was intended to be a joke.
‘I had a joking back and forth banter with that officer since I hired him,’ Campo said.
But according to Pool, who joined the department in September 2020 and was its first black officer, Campo regularly made offensive comments to employees.
The incident, which was captured on surveillance camera footage, showed Campo placing the printout on Pool’s rain jacket. The words ‘Ku Klux Klan’ can be seen on the paper.
He then allegedly urged other officers to come see his ‘joke’ and chime in, once Pool had arrived and saw the note.
Records show Campo then made a pointy ‘Ku Klux Klan’ hat out of paper and wore it in front of Pool and his other employees, and later told Pool he should wear the KKK hat on his next service call.
The police union reported the incident four days later, placing Campo on administrative leave. Later that day, he submitted his retirement paperwork.
‘This was not the chief’s first time doing something racist and offensive to other employees,’ Pool said. ‘It was just the first time it got caught.’
The former chief would even go as far as to post offensive, racist and sexist images targeting officers on the department’s bulletin boards.
Campo once attached an image depicting Pool as the Grim Reaper with the caption ‘The Raccoon Reaper’, which used a reference to anti-black imagery, the Post reported.
He also allegedly pasted an image of a car with large rims, tinted windows and Pool’s name. Campo allegedly treated the only Latino officer in the division similarly, posting images that depicted the officer sporting a sombrero as part of a hot sauce bottle logo.
In the weeks that followed, records state, Pool’s legal team requested public records involving Campo, but the city has yet to return a complete list of the documents.
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