Former Flossmoor Officer Fails to Prove Termination was Racially Motivated

A federal appeals panel says former Flossmoor police officer Larry Hall failed to prove his firing was race-related in court Monday, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The 38-year-old was relieved of his duties in 2009 after he twice lied to supervisors about having sex with a recent Homewood-Flossmoor High School graduate in his patrol vehicle while on duty.

Prior to his termination, Hall had been reprimanded for napping in his squad car behind a park district building and for leaving his stun gun unattended on a table at the police station. Hall also used a police instant-messaging system to send inappropriate texts. One reportedly referred to Flossmoor residents as "Flossmorons."

Hall, an African-American, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the village in 2011. He claimed he was punished more harshly than his white counterparts would have been—citing an example in which two white officers were disciplined for negligence while on duty.

Circuit judges said Hall failed to prove his firing was race-related, adding that his "dishonesty is a significant aggravating circumstance" in comparison with his example involving the white officers.

Get the rest of the story by the Chicago Tribune