Former captain under investigation sues Philadelphia police
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A former police captain who's under investigation for the potential misuse of Philly money is suing the city.
Why it matters: The saga of Nashid Akil reveals internal turmoil among leadership in a police department facing staffing shortages and a rise in misconduct payouts.
Driving the news: Akil, 44, is alleging the city retaliated and discriminated against him in a disciplinary matter.
- He says he was forced into early retirement to avoid termination and to preserve his $72,000-a-year pension, which he can start drawing when he turns 50, per the complaint.
Catch up quick: Akil has come under public scrutiny several times in recent years. A Philadelphia Inquirer investigation found he was chronically absent from his post in the crime-plagued 22nd District, and the department reassigned him.
- In January, the paper reported that more than $75,000 in city money allocated for a youth boxing program Akil founded went to him and nine police colleagues, despite a policy barring city employees from receiving grants.
- City police and the Office of Inspector General opened investigations into the payments. The internal police probe is ongoing, a spokesperson tells Axios.
Zoom in: Akil resigned the next month after receiving notice the department intended to fire him, according to his lawsuit.
- At the time, internal affairs was probing how he handled a sergeant's COVID leave that he believed was an abuse of the department policy, per the suit.
- A Police Department spokesperson declined to comment on Akil's case to Axios.
Details: Akil says his punishment was harsher than others accused of similar infractions.
- His lawyer, Seth Carson, wrote in the complaint that the department sought to make an "example" out of Akil for reporting an employee's alleged wrongdoing. Carson didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment.
The big picture: Many officers succeed in getting their disciplinary penalties and actions reduced or overturned, per the Inquirer.
Of note: Akil was fired from the department nearly two decades ago over allegations he stole from a detainee. He was reinstated in 2005 after an arbitrator found no "competent evidence" against him, the Inquirer reported.
What's next: Akil wants a payout and any "negative, discriminatory, and/or defamatory" statements about his performance removed from his employment file.
- Philly police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp says prosecutors will decide whether to file charges against Akil or other police staffers once they review the findings of the city funding probe.