Muslim police officer sues Melvindale Police Department for alleged discrimination
An officer with the Melvindale Police Department is suing the department and the city, claiming that he was harassed and discriminated against because he is Muslim.
Marko Law, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Corporal Hassan Hammoud, alleged the officer was targeted for reporting misconduct, creating a hostile work environment.
"This lawsuit reveals a deeply disturbing culture of racism and religious bigotry that not only isolates and punished Corporal Hammoud because of his religion and race, but also directs that bias outward toward the communities the department is sworn to protect. The City of Melvindale has allowed a system of discrimination to flourish unchecked—and our client is stepping forward to ensure accountability," Attorney Jonathan Marko said in a news release. "If Melvindale can't protect its own officers, how can it serve and protect the citizens?"
CBS News Detroit contacted Melvindale police for a comment, but has not heard back.
Hammoud, who is Lebanese, was first hired in March 2021. According to the lawsuit, he faced racial harassment by a colleague beginning in June 2021 and filed complaints. The lawsuit claims no action was taken despite a superior acknowledging the colleague's behavior as racist.
The lawsuit also says that between July 2024 and October 2024, Hammoud was harassed because of his religion, faith and ethnicity. Colleagues allegedly put several items in his work locker, such as job applications to other places, including a pizza shop, a photo of a naked woman, and a Christian cross and bible.
Additionally, Hammoud confronted another colleague over her racist remarks about Black people and reported fellow officers saying, "let's go hunt," before patrolling the Detroit-Melvindale city border, the lawsuit alleges. In response, Hammoud allegedly faced retaliation by colleagues and was threatened to stop filing complaints.
The lawsuit states that Hammoud went on leave twice in 2024 and early 2025, and the harassment continued when he returned, including in an alleged petition for him to be terminated. It alleges that he received two write-ups and was not provided a reason for them.
According to the lawsuit, Hammoud suffers from stress, humiliation, outrage, mental anguish, and emotional, economic and non-economic damages as a result of the alleged harassment and retaliation.
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