NAACP Will Fight for Former Salem Officer

A former Salem Police officer says he faced numerous types of racial harrassment by peers and superiors, now the NAACP will take on his case at state level.

(SALEM) - Executive members of the Salem/Keizer NAACP Branch traveled to Seattle, Washington April 1st to attend the NAACP State Conference 2006 Annual Spring Convention. The State Conference was attended by all NAACP Units within the Alaska, Oregon and Washington State Conference area.

Salem/Keizer President Ms. Sheryl Dash entreated the support of the State Conference on behalf of former Salem Police Officer Sterling Alexander who had filed a complaint with the Salem/Keizer Branch in 2004.

Mr. Alexander`s complaint cited an incident of racial slurs from another city employee, racial discriminatory and disparate treatment by the Salem Police Department and DPSST, the police academy in nearby Monmouth. Ms. Dash also spoke of many other complaints from citizens in the community ranging from racial discrimination to police harassment.

A spokesperson for the Salem/Keizer NAACP Branch says they have attempted several times to establish a line of communication with the Salem Police Department to discuss concerns around racial issues, hiring and retention of people of color, and community involvement. They say the Salem Police Department failed in following up in these requested areas.

Salem Police Spokesman Lt. Bill Kolhmeyer says the agency fully investigates these types of complaints, and he tells Salem-News.com that any allegations of racial discrimination are taken very seriously. He says several recent media reports took statements from him, and the Salem Police Department, out of context. "We're not trying to dodge any bullets, we want to be as open as we can about everything." Kohlmeyer says in regard to not responding, that he was never contacted.

The State Conference passed a motion entertained by meeting Chairman, Mr. Oscar Eason, Jr. who is President of the State Conference; to further support Mr. Alexander in his endeavor to obtain justice and equality. The motion consisted of assisting Sterling Alexander in his case and investigating his claims against the Salem Police Department and DPSST.

Sterling Alexander also faces criminal charges in an unrelated matter. These proceedings stem from an alleged sexual assault incident that had happened close to two years before the charges were filed. His lawyers at the time said the timing was something his team would take into account, as the charges came after the personal and racial problems he alleges took place while he was a Salem Police officer.

The Salem/Keizer NAACP staff say they are committed to advocating the rights of all people who believe their civil rights have been violated; dedicated to addressing issues of discrimination. If you or anyone you know have an issue that needs to be addressed you can contact the NAACP at: 503-566-8876.

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Comments

Comments are Closed on this story.

Clavius October 30, 2007 11:52 pm (Pacific time)

Yeah, these multiple rape allegations are probably a ploy by Salem racists to discredit Sterling Alexander. He did ADMIT to having sex with all three women while on the job so even if it were consensual (which threatening a 17 year old with a laundry list of crimes if she doesn't have sex with him doesn't really sound like) he's still a jerk. And don't forget he was in an exclusive relationship with his girlfriend at the time of this rape and sexual violence so again, what a shining beacon of moral rectitude under siege from unprincipled racists. Just to give you an idea of the extent of this sort of thing check out this link to the United States Department of Justice website which compiles crime victimization statistics and breaks them down by race (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cvus05.pdf see page 55). Note that 0 (yes 0) blacks were raped by whites in 2005 and 0 (yes 0) blacks were raped by other minorities. Meanwhile in 2005, 37461 whites were raped by blacks. So there's lots of noble work for the NAACP to get busy on.

Ruby July 20, 2006 11:57 am (Pacific time)

African Americans are not the only ones affected by these idiots. They do not let black officers function, gay or lesbian officers, officers with non-majority political views, and the list goes on. So go get-em NAACP.

Kay April 7, 2006 4:22 pm (Pacific time)

You certainly don't have to be a person of color to see just how big racial discrimination is in Salem. I applaud the NAACP for their involvment in Mr. Alexander's case. I hope he gets the support he needs to win his claim!

Margaret April 7, 2006 10:38 am (Pacific time)

I am glad to see that more will be done to investigate the concerns of people of color in the city of Salem. It is time to put aside racial prejudices and work together for a common goal. Charges filed two years after an incident does not say much for the credibility of an individual.

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