A Black police officer has filed a lawsuit against one Tennessee city, alleging he was the victim of racial discrimination.
According to WMC Action News 5, DeAndre McBee said the Covington Police Department was a great place to work when he first started, but things began to change once Donna Turner, the current police chief, was recruited in March of last year.
Now, McBee – who submitted his resignation on Thursday – is sharing his experience of being treated unfairly and says he was given different punishments from his co-workers because of his race.
“It’s not a good environment to work in when we can’t be vocal and trusted to do our job the best way we can without fear of being retaliated on by the chief,” McBee maintained.
McBee asserts that he was disciplined for unfounded allegations of insubordination, subpar performance and misrepresentation.
He said he received a two-day suspension without pay and a shift change after being accused of sleeping at work. However, he said, a white officer who committed the same offense received a two-day suspension without pay but no shift change.
“I feel more targeted than other officers directed by the chief,” McBee contended. “I am the first officer ever to be written up by the chief.”
Official papers from Eboni Eaton, its now-fired human resources director, show that the municipal HR department investigated McBee’s claims.
According to the records, officers questioned by HR stated that Chief Turner frequently mentioned McBee in command meetings in what they perceived as a disparaging and targeted manner.
However, the City of Covington’s attorneys released a statement in which they called it “not unexpected” that McBee spoke to the media immediately after turning in his resignation letter.
“The city takes all allegations of racial disparity or unfair treatment seriously, fairly and impartially investigates such allegations, and appropriately addresses those claims if they arise,” the statement read, WMC reported. “After a thorough internal evaluation of the claims made by Mr. McBee, the city determined the claims were unfounded.”
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