DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit's interim police chief announced Wednesday that a troubled sergeant who amassed over 80 citizen complaints will be taken off patrol and launched an investigation into his alleged misconduct.
The announcement came hours after a 7 Action News investigationinto repeated allegations of misconduct by Sgt. Stephen Kue was published.
"The Detroit Police Department is deeply troubled and disappointed by the perceived pattern of conduct and behavior shown by Sergeant Kue," said interim chief James White said in a statement.
Kue has been placed on administrative duty and taken off of his patrol assignment.
RELATED:
White said he wants to understand why some of Kue's sustained misconduct --including a complaint that confirmed he used a racist slur toward a citizen--was later dismissed without a reason documented.
"I will personally review each complaint against Sgt. Kue as well as, review the previous actions of the command team member(s) who dismissed the disturbing allegations," White said.
"This does not represent the values of the hardworking and dedicated men and women of this police department. Our community expects and should receive policing excellence, respect, and integrity.”
Since he joined the force, Kue has been accused repeatedly of excessive force, using hostile and racist language and harassing people of color who say their biggest crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The average uniformed officer in Detroit has received just over eight citizen complaints, according to internal data provided by the Detroit Police Department. Some officers go their entire career without receiving one.
But in Kue’s 12 years of service with Detroit Police, he has amassed 85 complaints.
7 Action News could not find any officer who has racked up as many complaints as quickly as Kue.
More striking than the number of complaints is the racial makeup of those lodging them.
For complainants who identified their race, nearly every one of them is listed as a person of color, according to internal department records.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.