Assistant police chief’s punishment for hanging Nazi insignia isn’t enough, WA mayor says
A Washington mayor is calling for the resignation of an assistant police chief who displayed a Nazi rank insignia on his office door for two weeks, multiple news outlets reported.
Kent Mayor Dana Ralph demanded the resignation of Assistant Chief Derek Kammerzell from the Kent Police Department at a City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4, saying his previous two-week suspension in July for the September 2020 incident was not enough, The Seattle Times reported.
Under the suspension, Kammerzell was required to take a sensitivity training class and two weeks without pay, the news outlet reported. He could use vacation time, though.
An investigation into Kammerzell by the city of Kent found he also made jokes about the Holocaust and referred to himself as an “Obergruppenfuhrer,” which translates to a senior group leader in Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, the Kent Reporter reported.
Kammerzell said he didn’t know the insignia he hung on his office door was a Nazi rank, KUOW reported. Instead, he posted the insignia with oak leaves and two diamonds as a reference to his nickname in the office as a “German General,” the outlet reported.
The nickname was also created because he was in the military and has a German last name, according to the Kent Reporter.
“I am deeply embarrassed by this incident,” Kammerzell told the news outlet on Dec. 30 by email. “I wish I could take it back. I know now what that rank represents, and that is not what I value or who I am. The expectations for an assistant chief are, rightfully, incredibly high. I do my best every day to meet and exceed those expectations.”
He has been with the department for 27 years, KING-TV reported.
But the community is upset.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and the Jewish Community Relations Council published a statement on Jan. 4 in response to Kammerzell’s actions calling them “inexcusable” and demanding the city of Kent “treat the offenses with the seriousness and care they deserve.”
“By elevating and honoring Nazi imagery and titles and joking about the Holocaust, Kammerzell is supporting the extermination of six million Jews, including one million children, and five million other vulnerable individuals,” the statement read.
They also said his two-week suspension and mandated sensitivity training did not hold him accountable.
Ralph has since asked the city attorney to reach out to the police union’s attorney asking for Kammerzell to resign, according to an emailed statement from the city of Kent.
“We all agree Kammerzell’s behavior was completely unacceptable,” Ralph said in the statement. “While there will be a cost associated with this, I believe that this is a necessary step to continue to build trust with our City and across the region.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 6:45 PM with the headline "Assistant police chief’s punishment for hanging Nazi insignia isn’t enough, WA mayor says."
