Prince George's County police chief Hank Stawinski resigns

Prince George’s County police chief abruptly resigns

Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski has resigned from his position effective immediately, officials announced Thursday. 

GREENBELT, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski has resigned from his position effective immediately, officials announced Thursday.

Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said she has accepted Stawinski's resignation.

The resignation comes on the day a 94-page report claimed: “widespread patterns of discrimination and racism permeate the entire department."

Prince George's County police chief, Hank Stawinski is seen during a press conference on distracted and impaired driving on Monday April 15, 2019 in Prince George's County, MD. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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FOX 5's Paul Wagner reports that a lawsuit, which was filed a year and a half ago by 13 current and former PGPD officers, claims that the department treats white officers differently than officers of color.

The 94-page report was written by Michael Graham, a former top official with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a recognized expert on police practices.

He was given access to some internal affairs files, as well as county police training procedures, and came to the conclusion that officers of color are treated differently.

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In the report, which is heavily redacted, Graham wrote that current leadership on the force appears to have made a deliberate choice not to track or monitor its performance in these matters.

He goes on to say there is a pattern of retaliation against officers of color when they complain about the conduct of white officers and the leadership condones retaliation.