Trooper in the hood
TOLEDO BLADE EDITORIAL -
APRIL 16, 2008
Trooper Craig Franklin |
Sgt. Jason
DeMuth |
Trooper Eric Wlodarsky |
There was nothing funny about a Ku Klux Klan prank perpetrated by two on-duty
Ohio Highway Patrol troopers in Sandusky. They deserved to be punished, if not
dismissed outright.
One trooper used a cell phone to photograph another dressed in a crude KKK-like
costume. What was supposed to be humorous is not entirely clear, but the
inflammatory nature of the photo is unmistakable: a white hood and mask have
long been iconic images of racism in America.
That the incident occurred on Jan. 20, the day before the national holiday to
honor slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., renders suspect the
troopers' claim that it was all a joke. In any case, their superiors were not
smiling and launched an investigation.
According to patrol documents, Sgt. Eric Wlodarsky used a cell phone to
photograph Trooper Craig Franklin in what appeared to be the garb of a KKK
member. The report says the trooper's handgun holster, double magazine holder,
and other equipment issued by the patrol are clearly visible beneath Trooper
Franklin's costume, "a white cone sitting on his head, white paper mask with eye
holes in front of his face, and white cloth covering the shoulders."
Sergeant Wlodarsky insisted there was "no malicious intent" behind the stunt and
that his fellow officer was a "joker" who had posed for the snapshot "with a
joking intent." They told investigators the idea came from a skit done by Dave
Chappelle, a black comedian.
The two apparently thought their gag was so hilarious that Sergeant Wlodarsky
forwarded the picture via text message to Sgt. Jason Demuth at the patrol's
Norwalk post, who then forwarded it to a dispatcher at the Toledo post.
All laughter stopped when the patrol's Administrative Investigative Unit
received an anonymous letter about the incident with the comment, "What a way to
represent the Ohio State Highway Patrol!"
What a way, indeed. Patrol officials reportedly wanted to fire the perpetrators,
but the troopers caught a break from the "last chance discipline" clause in
their union contract to save their jobs.
Sergeant Wlodarsky was demoted to trooper and transferred to another post. The
"joker," Trooper Franklin, received an unpaid five-day suspension and asked to
be transferred. Sergeant Demuth's discipline for not only failing to report the
troopers' actions to a supervisor but forwarding the photo to a subordinate was
a one-day suspension. They all got diversity awareness training.
To their credit, patrol officials acted quickly to deal with this troubling
incident. Ohio cannot afford to have its highly visible - and mostly white - law
enforcement agency handicapped by racism.
TOLEDO BLADE EDITORIAL - APRIL 16, 2008