A Melvindale police corporal is suing the city police department, alleging he experienced racial and religious discrimination from colleagues while officials ignored his complaints.
Hassan Hammoud, a Muslim who immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon 30 years ago, began working for the Melvindale Police Department in March 2021. He was the only Arab employee at the time, according to the lawsuit filed May 29 in Wayne County Circuit Court.
The complaint alleges that on or around June 2021, Hammoud was subjected to racial harassment by a colleague. He allegedly made numerous complaints to Police Chief Robert Kennaley, who was a sergeant at the time, but no action was taken, according to the filing.
It is also stated that on or around February 2024, Kennaley informed Hammoud he knew about the colleague’s behavior and” stated that she was racist, and disliked Arabic people.” However, he still took no action to prevent Hammoud from “suffering further harassment,” the lawsuit said.
Kennaley did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Hammoud allegedly continued to suffer disparate treatment despite multiple complaints to Kennaley.
The lawsuit also said another coworker allegedly “(expressed) racist views and (harbored) hatred towards the African American community,” and “would use hateful speech when describing individuals in the African American community and when talking about them with officers in the department,” during Hammoud’s “many years on the force.”
Hammoud allegedly advised the coworker that their behavior was unacceptable, but was unable to report them outide of directly confronting them for fear of losing his job and the coworker’s standing within the department. The coworker and others allegedly retaliated against Hammoud for confronting them directly regarding their “racist and hateful speech and behavior.”
Between July and October 2024, Hammoud’s coworkers allegedly targeted him in a series of “intentionally (belittling)” acts by leaving items in his work mailbox, such as: a job application; a photograph of a nude girl; a Christian cross and Bible; and a job application for Mr. Steve’s Pizza with a note saying “Go,” allegedly insinuating that Hammoud should resign and be a pizza delivery boy.
Hammoud “was targeted — discriminated against and retaliated against — because of his race, his background, and because he had the courage to expose serious misconduct, including officers profiling people near the Melvindale city border,” attorney Alexander Waldman of the Marko Law Group, which is representing Hammoud, said in a statement. “No one should be retaliated against for standing up for what is right and be discriminated against because of their background.”
Melvindale City Attorney Lawrence Coogan and city police department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.
In January, Hammoud was placed on administrative leave due to mental health issues caused by the working conditions that made “the terms of his employment intolerable,” the lawsuit states.
His lawsuit alleges violations of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, the state’s anti-discrimination law, and seeks damages.
Meanwhile, the Melvindale City Council voted on Wednesday to hire a private investigator to examine issues involving the police department, including the corporal’s claims, WDIV-TV (Channel 4) reported.
At the meeting, Coogan said that “if true,” Hammoud’s complaints are “pretty damning,” according to the station.
“The assertions made are alarming,” Coogan said, WDIV reported. “And it needs to be dealt with.”
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