We're expecting a low- to medium-grade fuss at the Jackson County Courthouse today as a trial begins that pits a former Kansas City Police Department patrol officer against his former employers and the Kansas City, Missouri, Board of Police Commissioners.
For background, read our 2007 story, "The Cop Who Killed a Murder Case," and the follow-up, "Murder Case is Killed Again."
In 2008, Danny Holmes was fired from the KCPD in the aftermath of a bungled murder investigation, during which he claimed he was instructed by his superiors to fill out faulty reports. He was fired, but his partner, Shawn Hamre, was not.
Holmes, though very fair-skinned, is black, and Hamre is white. Holmes'
petition claims, "Holmes' race (African-American) was a contributing
factor in Police Board's decision to treat Holmes dissimilarly from
Hamre, and to suspend Holmes."
Though the purpose of the trial is to determine whether the Police
Board violated the Missouri Human Rights Act, the slew of reporters in
the courthouse today are likely more interested in the tangential dirt
that might come out of Holmes' allegations against the KCPD.
Additionally, a source tells us that a former prosecuting attorney
might toss around the name of her former boss, Mike Sanders, who was then the Jackson County Prosecutor and is now the County Executive.
We'll keep you posted.
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