Racism complaints against cop resurface

Ex-cop’s discrimination lawsuit set to be heard by jury this fall

Allegations about racism within the Boca Raton Police Department are being revived by a former Black officer who quit while on probation almost four years ago.

The claims by Steve Robert in a federal racial discrimination lawsuit are set to be heard by a jury in Fort Lauderdale this fall. The city denies he was treated unfairly and says Robert “was not qualified to do the job.”

Much of the dispute centers around alleged mistreatment by a supervisor who was previously accused of making racist remarks toward another Black officer. That cop, Jeremy Codling, was fired in 2018 and later rehired after apologizing and getting a “last chance.”

But Robert, 34, now says the problem lies deeper, claiming unnamed current and former Black officers have come forward after he sued to report “there is a culture of racism pervasive throughout” the department.

While city officials say they don’t comment about ongoing litigation, they told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the agency is “a leader of diversity and inclusion” and has created job opportunities for that purpose.

“We typically do not comment on pending lawsuits because we believe that legal disputes should be decided in court, not in a public forum where facts are omitted and narratives are skewed,” said Anne Marie Connolly, interim communications manager. “However, the city categorically denies the allegations of pervasive racism within the Boca Raton Police Department.”

Previous complaint cited

Robert says he was hired as a police officer candidate in December 2015, and was sworn in as an officer almost eight months later.