CHASKA, Minn. - A Chaska Police officer has been fired following an investigation into his conduct.
In a press release Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight confirms that officer Joshua Lawrenz was dismissed following an intensive investigation into allegations against the officer, but did not specify what those allegations were, citing data privacy policies.
But published reports and testimony from a City Council meeting last fall show that the complaints against Lawrenz are based on acts of alleged racism and profiling.
The Chaska Herald reports that a group of Latino residents showed up at that meeting on Sept. 8 and shared incidents of alleged racism and racial profiling by Officer Lawrenz, acts that included misuse of authority, racist comments and in one case, a reported case of physical abuse.
One Latino Chaska resident, Natalie Lopez, told council members she was pulled over for driving without a driver's license.
"He asked me if I had our [immigration] papers and I said 'no,'" Lopez said, "And I don't think that he had the right to ask me if I'm legal here. He told me he can arrest me just because I have no papers," Lopez told the council. "That police [officer], he told me that he wants to send every single person [that] doesn't have no license back to Mexico."
Larenz was put on paid administrative leave after the Council meeting. The outside investigation, which resulted in his termination, took months longer than expected.
Law Enforcement Labor Services, the union representing Lawrenz, said the former officer is "highly decorated and well regarded with no previous discipline in his file.
LELS said there is no justification for the firing and is filing a grievance regarding his dismissal. LELS General Counsel Isaac Kaufman said the case is expected to go to a neutral arbitrator for review.
