Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw wants his job back. The problem is that he has been accused of sexually assaulting at least 13 women, all of whom were Black.
Holtzclaw was arrested last August and is facing 36 different charges, including rape, sexual battery, oral sodomy, indecent exposure, stalking and burglary. If convicted on all counts, he could face life in prison. Holtzclaw targeted women in the predominantly Black Springlake division of Oklahoma City.
But Holtzclaw was not officially terminated until Jan. 8, 2015 and was still getting a paycheck while in jail. In the letter announcing Holtzclaw’s termination, Oklahoma City Police Chief William Citty wrote, “Your offenses committed against women in our community constitute the greatest abuse of police authority I have witnessed in my 37 years as a member of this agency. These violations more than warrant your termination from the Oklahoma City Police Department.”
So he did what many police officers do when faced with trouble and turned to the police union. Holtzclaw requested assistance from the local Fraternal Order of Police in getting his job reinstated.
A committee of the F.O.P reviewed the facts that related to his dismissal and unanimously denied his request. Mark Nelson, VP OKC Fraternal order of police stated, “Based on what we heard we felt that there was enough reason to sustain the department’s decision of termination.”
In addition to his police paycheck, Holtzclaw had a GoFundMe donation page that received more than $7,000 until it was shut down due to complaints. The family also maintains a “Justice for Daniel Holtzclaw” Facebook page. Holtzclaw is out on bond and under house arrest while awaiting trial.
