A former University of Delaware police officer has accused the school and its police chief, Patrick Ogden, of racial discrimination, claiming he was fired after calling out his superiors for risking officers’ health during the height of the pandemic in 2020, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
Raushan Rich was charged with insubordination, a department disciplinary violation, when he expressed disagreement with the university’s COVID-19 protocol that required police officers to transport COVID-19-positive students to quarantine, according to the suit.
He claims he was disciplined when other white employees were not, according to the lawsuit.
A university spokesperson said it does not comment on ongoing litigation. Rich and his attorney also did not comment.
In August 2020, after students returned to campus for the fall semester, the university established quarantine housing for any on-campus students who tested positive for COVID-19.
UD police officers drove students who had tested positive from their on-campus rooms to the quarantine housing but received no training on how to use the “transport vans” or “decontamination machines” or how to properly wear and dispose of the personal protective equipment, according to the suit.
Rich, who was a sergeant at the time, expressed concerns to his superiors over possible COVID-19 exposure. He was instructed that officers would be required to conduct the transports until September “regardless of the risk,” court documents state.
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On the evening of Aug. 30, Rich received a dispatch call to transport a COVID-positive student but he declined, citing “unnecessary risk and exposure for non-law enforcement purposes,” according to court documents.
He was eventually forced to pick an officer from his squad for the transport who “reluctantly agreed,” the lawsuit states. The officers were hesitant about the task and stated they were “unwilling to conduct the transport,” according to the suit.
Later that night, Rich was placed on an emergency administrative leave, according to the complaint. He was investigated by the department and ultimately terminated for insubordination.
The lawsuit claims Rich was investigated unfairly. Prior to the conclusion of the disciplinary process, the department prematurely issued a letter firing him, contrary to the standard practice, the suit states.
“Defendant has engaged in a pattern and practice of disproportionately treating and disciplining its African American officers while failing to discipline its Caucasian officers,” the lawsuit states.
Court documents state he worked in the University of Delaware Police Department for eight years and had no prior disciplinary issues.
Contact Yusra Asif at yqureshi@delawareonline.com.
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