NRI Pulse Staff Report
Atlanta, GA, October 25, 2018: The Wall township police department in New Jersey is being sued by an Indian-American ex-cop who is accusing a number of its officers of repeatedly using racist language, reports Asbury Park Press
Former police officer Suresh Madhavan filed a complaint against the township and the police department. Madhavan alleges he faced discrimination throughout his employment because of his skin tone.
Madhavan, who was hired in 2003, worked with Wall township PD until he was fired in July 2016 after accusations that he lied during an internal affairs investigation related to a sex tape his police sergeant made him film, the suit claims.
In his lawsuit, Madhavan denied the allegation, and claimed a sergeant, demanded he film the sex tape in his own home, where the married sergeant used to bring his mistress.
Madhavan claimed in the suit that the tape- which he deleted and never showed anyone other than the sergeant- Â became an internal investigation, which eventually led to his termination.
Madhavan’s lawsuit alleges a pattern of behavior that included repeated derogatory language and racial slurs toward people of color from multiple officers, reports The Patch. Madhavan alleges the sergeant who harassed him used code words to reference when a black person was the suspect in a crime and regularly used the “n—–” word. He also alleges the department ignored accusations of domestic violence against the sergeant and alleged drunken driving.
In response to a “racially offensive” picture placed in Madhavan’s locker, the department put a hidden camera in the locker room, according to Madhavan’s complaint.
That camera was the flashpoint for a 2005 federal lawsuit against the township on behalf of several officers and supervisors. The lawsuit settled in 2007 for $145,500, $25,000 of which went to Madhavan, the Asbury Park Press reported at the time.
