Published: March 29, 2008 12:02 am         

West admits to one of officer’s grievance calls

Enid Police Chief Rick West said an officer in his department has been disciplined over an incident cited by the city’s only black officer in a grievance claiming civil rights violations.

More than 10 members of the Enid chapter of National Association for the Advance-ment of Colored People met in a closed meeting Thursday night to discuss complaints made by officer Chris Bennett.

Bennett filed a grievance through the Fraternal Order of Police collective bargaining agreement, which is a labor contract between the FOP lodge and the city of Enid.

In a statement issued late Thursday, Enid NAACP President Angela Molette outlined Bennett’s complaints. Bennett could not be reached for comment Friday.

According to the statement, Bennett had “numerous encounters with on-the-job racial jokes and had a derogatory statement “downloaded as a screen saver on his computer screen while he was away.”

Enid Police Chief Rick West said the incident involving the screen saver was “investigated, and the responsible officer has been disciplined for that action,” noting the incident occurred “several months ago.”

West said he did not have to release further information about the incident because the actions taken to discipline the officer did not meet standards set forth by Oklahoma Open Records Act pertaining to inspection and copying of personnel records.

According to the act, “Any final disciplinary action resulting in the loss of pay, suspension, demotion of position, or termination,” is an open record. However, West said none of those four actions was taken in disciplining the officer, and he did not have to release the record.

Molette’s statement also claims, “A collage of African-Americans that he (Bennett) had any dealings with (investigations, arrests, elicited confessions) was assembled together by other police detectives and placed as a partition or room divider on his desk, with the hand-written words scrawled on it, ‘Yo Family.’”

West said that incident was part of the ongoing investigations by the police department into Bennett’s grievance. Because the investigation is ongoing, West said he couldn’t comment on that incident.

Molette’s statement also states Bennett complained of “inappropriate conversations” in which another detective said he was uncomfortable working with a black man “because ‘they’ are always on the opposite side of the law.”

West said the last item in the NAACP’s statement was not part of Bennett’s grievance. West said he was not aware of the incident, but it would be added to the department’s internal investigations.

“This is clear harassment and hazing, based on race, as well as demeaning, humiliating and morally reprehensible behavior, which should not be condoned by any employer, should not be perpetrated by any employee and should not be a human beings work day or life experience,” Molette said.

In a statement released Thursday, West said Bennett’s grievance was motivated by his transfer from detective to patrolman, which was based on performance and not race.

Bennett had been assigned to the Investigative Services Division as a detective Oct. 15, 2007, then subsequently was returned to the Patrol Division.

“Officer Bennett’s grievance appears to be motivated by his recent transfer out of detectives, and much of his complaint is related to issues which took place several months ago and went unreported,” according to the statement.

“Although Officer Bennett has alleged that his transfer from detectives was based on issues associated with racial discrimination, he was actually transferred for substandard work performance, which has been well documented.

“His transfer was not the result of his race, as he has alleged.”

West also said Thursday he requested an FBI investigation into civil right violations within the department be performed.

Molette said NAACP was told by Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police Lodge President Ron Bartmier the organization will conduct its own investigation.

“The assignment to detectives is not a promotion but rather a lateral transfer from one division to another,” West said.

Assignments to other divisions are made by the chief and are based on the officer’s desires, aptitude and personal initiative, West said. Recommenda-tions by subordinate administrators and supervisors are taken into consideration.

Although NAACP said Bennett’s reassignment to the Patrol Division was an “unceremoniously demotion,” West said Police Civil Service Commission is the only organization that can demote an officer. He said he does not have that authority.

“All hiring, promotions, demotions and terminations are decided by a five-member Po-lice Civil Service Commis-sion,” West said.

Molette said Bennett realized it was a demotion when his pay was lowered.

“He was told that he was being transferred but realized it was a demotion when his pay-rate was reduced,” according to the statement.

Capt. Dean Grassino said a transfer from detectives to patrol would result in a loss of “assignment pay” for on-call duty but would not result in a decrease in wage rates.