Former Lawrence Officer Not Fired Because of Race

A federal judge has ruled that a former Lawrence police officer involved in dismissing speeding tickets for a University of Kansas athletics employee was not fired because of his race.

Michael Monroe, who is black, was fired from the police department in March 2012 after an investigation into allegations tickets were dismissed in exchange for Kansas athletic tickets. He sued the city and Chief Tarik Khatib in 2012. He claimed he was fired because of his race.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren ruled last week that evidence showed Monroe was fired because he took “inexcusable actions,” not because of his race.

The police department conducted two investigations into allegations that its investigations division dismissed tickets for Rodney Jones, a former assistant athletics director at Kansas.

Associated Press information from: Lawrence Journal-World