City of Kent to pay more than $1.5 million to former Assistant Police Chief Derek Kammerzell

The City of Kent announced on Friday, June 10, 2022 that it will pay more than $1.5 million to former Assistant Chief Derek Kammerzell, who was disciplined for posting a Nazi symbol on his office door and joking about the Holocaust.

As we previously reported, Kammerzell’s actions embraced the rank of an official in Adolf Hitler’s Schutzstaffel or ‘SS,’ which was responsible for the murders of millions of Jews.

Kammerzell was first given a two week suspension without pay, but public outrage from citizens and the Jewish community resulted in Mayor Dana Ralph demanding his resignation.

However, the city’s demands led to a dispute with Kamerzell’s attorneys, and it started to look like it would head to court.

But interim Chief Administrative Officer Arthur “Pat” Fiztpatrick – who also serves as the city attorney – announced Friday that the city had resolved the matter through negotiation.

When Mayor Ralph first called for Kammerzell’s resignation in January, she said “while there will be a cost associated with this I believe that this is a necessary step to continue to build trust within our city and across the region.”

That cost turned out to be $1,520,000.

Fitzpatrick also stated that officials “strongly believe that settling this matter will be a substantial step toward meeting our commitment to the community and continuing with the excellent work the Police Department is doing.”

Article Source: I Love Kent