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One does not have to look far to see the damage done by the last several years in which some politicians have fooled their followers into believing it is acceptable to be openly, publicly hateful. An example from 2021 came from the Sheffield Lake (Ohio) Police Department, where the chief felt free to leave a note for a Black police officer that contained references to the Ku Klux Klan.
A report by WJW described the note as "racially insensitive." The news outlet reports there is now a proposed settlement of $500,000 for the officer's complaint and two others -- a discrimination complaint filed by a Hispanic officer and a sexual harassment complaint filed by a dispatcher.
"Bigotry has no place in the American workforce," attorney Ashlie Case Sletvold told WJW. "Our clients filed these claims to hold the Sheffield Lake Police Department accountable for the vicious misconduct of its former police chief. The city has finally agreed to conduct anti-discrimination training, which represents a good first step toward meaningful change."
What does it say about us that more than 50 years after the height of the Civil Rights Movement, we are still talking about "first" steps toward making that change? And what does it say that a person in a position as powerful as a police chief felt no compunction about leaving such a note?
There are too many others like him, who have been lulled into feeling safe to voice -- maybe even act on -- their bigotry. They have been groomed by politicians playing on fear, ignorance and division to safeguard their own power.
Ohio law enforcement officers have had enough challenge in recent years, as bad behavior on the part of individuals tainted the reputations of entire departments. For the sake of those good officers dedicated to protecting and serving all Ohioans, law enforcement leaders must root out any more who feel comfortable showing their true, hateful colors. If they show us who they are, we must believe them; and there must be consequences.