Pine Lawn Officer Matthew Meinen (left) writes a ticket to a young man on June 2, 2008, for being in violation of a Pine Lawn city ordinance banning pants that sag to reveal the subjects underwear in public. Pine Lawn Chief Rickey Collins is next to Meinen. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Pine Lawn Officer Matthew Meinen leaps off a fence on June 2, 2008, in pursuit of a suspect who fled from police patrolling a Pine Lawn neighborhood in golf carts. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com.
Pine Lawn Officer Matthew Meinen writes a ticket to a young man on June 2, 2008, for being in violation of a Pine Lawn ordinance banning pants that sag to reveal the subject's underwear in public. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
ST. LOUIS COUNTY • A former Pine Lawn patrolman has sued the city and chief of police, saying Chief Rickey Collins discriminated against him because he is white and Jewish.
Matthew Meinen says in his suit that he was fired in October 2010, after three years with the department, because of his race and religion. Leading up to that, Collins, who is African-American, continually harassed him and other white officers by calling them “the Klan” and using other derogatory names that referred to the fact that they were white, Meinen claims in the suit.
The St. Louis County Circuit Court suit says that African-American officers were given preferential assignments, and that race was a factor in hiring. Meinen is seeking more than $25,000 in damages.
Collins, reached Thursday, said his only concern in hiring officers is whether they are qualified, and he noted the last several to join the department were white.
Of the other accusations, he responded, "That's totally absurd. I'm always professional all the time with my officers. Any comments like that are untrue and unfounded."
Jennifer S. Mann
Jennifer S. Mann is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
