Baltimore police officials have moved a homicide commander accused of forcing his black sergeant to watch on-line Ku Klux Klan videos out of his position.
The move occurred Wednesday, two days after The Examiner reported that the black sergeant had filed a federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the commander, Lt. James W. Hagin Jr.
The complaint was filed by Sgt. Kelvin Sewell on March 5. The 20-year veteran officer alleged, among other issues, that he was ordered to watch videos of various KKK rallies for about an hour, according to The Examiner.
"Obviously an EEOC complaint has been made," said Sterling Clifford, a Police Department spokesman. Clifford said that Hagin asked to be moved out of the unit temporarily during the investigation. The 28-year veteran had been in the homicide unit for a couple of months. Since arriving, he has closely scrutinized overtime, causing some to complain that their investigations are being micromanaged.
Hagin is being replaced by Lt. John R. Cannon.
Hagin's new position will be to supervise the detectives in the Northern District. annie.linskey@baltsun.com
