BALTIMORE (AP) - A former top police deputy in Baltimore has sued top police officials in the city for his firing last year, claiming he was the subject of racial discrimination and was retaliated against for disciplining a subordinate.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court last week by former Baltimore Deputy Commissioner Andre Bonaparte claims he was fired from the Baltimore Police Department in March 2019 due to a “bogus internal complaint” filed against him for disciplining a subordinate, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Because of his actions against the unnamed subordinate, Bonaparte said the person’s “allies” within the department leaked an expunged document on social media detailing a “baseless” domestic violence case between him and his wife. The document was leaked with the approval of another deputy commissioner at the police force, the lawsuit said.
It names three officers who Bonaparte said leaked the document, but does not provide details on how he knows those officers took part in the alleged leak. Ivan Bates, Bonaparte’s lawyer, told the Baltimore Sun the police department found out who was involved after an investigation into the allegations.
Bonaparte, who is black, also claims police leaders fired him without due process, discriminated against him because of his race, and denied him a letter of good standing white officers easily received.
He had retired in 2008 after nearly two decades as a law enforcement officer before he came out of retirement in 2018 to work for the police department. He is seeking more than $525,000 in damages.
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