black police chief settles racial bias suit for $545,000

Willie Dixon of the Hempstead Police Department.

A top black police chief targeted with a noose hanging in his Long Island  department’s locker room will receive $545,000 to settle a federal  discrimination lawsuit, his lawyer said Thursday.

Willie Dixon was the  first black assistant chief in the history of the Hempstead Police Department,  but was says he ws treated like a second-hand citizen.

Dixon, 62, was forced to retire at a lower rank despite being cleared of a  slew of unfounded allegations levied against him by his superior, his lawyer  Eric Sanders said.

“Unfortunately the burden of this settlement will fall on the taxpayers  instead of the people responsible,” Dixon said.

Dixon found the noose hanging from a locker room pipe near an article that  mentioned his name in 2007. The Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI  investigated the incident but were unable to determine who was responsible.

Dixon claimed he suffered retaliation from the former chief for going public  about the noose incident.

A civil trial was scheduled to begin next month in Long Island Federal  Court.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/black-long-island-police-official-settles-racial-bias-suit-545-000-article-1.1080587#ixzz1vNcm9oZa

Related articles

• Former Des Plaines cop claims racial discrimination by superior (innerstandingisness.wordpress.com)