Coalition to speak in support of candidate for StL. Co. police chief who alleges discrimination
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VINITA PARK, Mo. (KMOV) — A group of local mayors, clergy and other officials are teaming up to support a St. Louis County police commander who says he was passed over for police chief due to race.
Mayors of several local municipalities, the Fannie Lou Hammer Coalition, St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition, Ecumenical Leadership Council and other officials from across St. Louis County will speak on the matter at Vinita Park City Hall at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday.
Lt. Col. Troy Doyle, who is black, recently filed an EEOC complaint against St. Louis County, saying he was passed over for the job of St. Louis County Police Chief because of race. Mary Barton, a 25-year veteran of the department was named to the post instead. She is white.
Doyle’s attorney, Jerome Dobson, says his client was told by St. Louis County Executive Sam Page that he was Page’s choice to lead the department. However, Dobson alleges that Page’s view changed after he attended a meeting with the St. Louis Police Foundation, who advocated for someone else.
The police foundation denied Dobson’s allegations in a statement:
“The St. Louis Police Foundation focuses solely on providing needed equipment, programs and services recommended by police officers at the St. Louis County Police Department and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. We do not know from where Jeremy Dobson is getting these accusations or who is misrepresenting us to him, but the Police Foundation was not involved in any meetings or discussions regarding a new County police chief.”
Page told News 4 that Doyle was his choice for chief but that the St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners, which is independent, chose Barton.
Page’s office also sent News 4 a voicemail from Doyle’s attorney to the county executive’s chief of staff, Winston Calvert. In the voicemail, Dobson says his client intends to file the EEOC complaint before the August 4 primary.
Additionally, Page’s office shared a letter from County Counselor Beth Orwick to Dobson that reads, in part:
“Recently, I attended a meeting organized by you in which you threatened to file and make public a charge of discrimination. You threatened to file the charge with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and EEOC if St. Louis County did not pay you and your client, Lt. Col. Troy Doyle, $3.5 million prior to the upcoming primary election. Please understand that St. Louis County will not be effectively extorted into paying money in exchange for your agreement not to disrupt the upcoming election.”
After receiving information from Orwick’s office, St. Louis Prosecutor Wesley Bell asked federal investigators to investigate Dobson’s conduct, according to Sam Alton, Bell’s Chief of Staff.
“We are aware of the situation involving Mr. Dobson. The information we received was very concerning, and we have referred this matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Alton.
Sunday, Dobson said he had no comment on the request for a federal investigation.
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