Christopher J. Johnson has filed a federal Civil Rights lawsuit against the city of Troy, the Troy Police Department, and deceased former police Sergeant Randall French, "alleging he endured systemic racism in the agency and that it has caused his career and personal life to suffer."
Johnson, one of the few Black police officers in the Troy PD, states that he was denied overtime and faced removal from his post without any complaints or evidence of poor job performance.
According to the Times Union, "four months after joining the detective unit, the lawsuit alleges, Johnson was showing a co-worker a photograph of his daughter from her high school graduation when French interrupted and asked Johnson how his daughter looked naked."
Johnson describes the presence of Confederate flags on vehicles and accessories worn by members of the Troy police department. he also states that Detective Jeffrey Hoover referred to a Black detective from another police agency as a "(expletive) n___."
According to the Times Union, "Johnson, who said other detectives also humiliated him during undercover details and tried to undermine his confidence, confronted French about the situation and was allegedly told that the detectives mistreated him because they didn't believe he was doing a good job. French allegedly told Johnson that the racial slurs and other comments he endured were standard fare in the unit and that he needed to deal with it."1