Melvindale police corporal alleges racism, religious bias in suit targeting department
Corporal Hassan Hammoud also alleges in the lawsuit, filed May 29 in Wayne County Circuit Court, that racism is widespread in the police department and officers talk about "going hunting" when policing parts of the city closest to Detroit, a majority-Black city.
Hammoud, who was born in Lebanon and joined the department in 2021, alleges members of the department used racial slurs to refer to Black people and would informally use a code number — "04" — to reference harassment of Black residents.
The city of Melvindale and the Melvindale Police Department are named as defendants in the lawsuit. Melvindale Police Chief Robert Kennaley and Melvindale Corporation Counsel Lawrence Coogan did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages left May 29.
Hammoud is still employed at the department, according to the lawsuit, but says he has been on administrative leave since January "due to mental health issues caused by the working conditions that made the terms of his employment intolerable."
The suit alleges that Hammoud was subjected to unspecified racial harassment from a colleague in 2021 and complained to Kennaley, who at that time was still a sergeant. Hammoud alleges that two corporals made unspecified racist comments in his presence, one of them over the course of several years. Hammoud says in the lawsuit he confronted one of the corporals about racist remarks but was afraid of losing his job if he complained to supervisors. The suit says he did make repeated complaints to Kennaley and a lieutenant about discriminatory treatment.
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Hammoud alleges he found in his police mailbox:
A photograph of a nude girl in September 2024;
A wooden Christian cross the day after he found the photograph;
A job application for a pizza restaurant, with a note saying, "Go," in October 2024; and
A Christian Bible and cross the day after he found the job application form.
'This lawsuit reveals a deeply disturbing culture of racism and religious bigotry that not only isolates and punished Corp. Hammoud because of his religion and race, but also directs that bias outward toward the communities the department is sworn to protect," Hammoud's Detroit attorney, Jonathan Marko, said in a news release.
"The City of Melvindale has allowed a system of discrimination to flourish unchecked — and our client is stepping forward to ensure accountability."
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The suit alleges Kennaley failed to act on his complaints, told him to stop writing up fellow officers for alleged racist language and conduct, and retaliated against him for continuing to complain. The suit alleges racist conduct by at least two specific officers but neither those officers nor Kennaley are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The suit alleges violations of Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act through unequal treatment, a hostile work environment, and retaliation. It seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Melvindale officer alleges police racism, religious bias in lawsuit
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