Ahmed Lawson, an African American police officer in Asbury Park, New Jersey, will receive $1.185 million under a settlement in his lawsuit against the city and its police department. He accused the department of racial discrimination and retaliation after he reported that a white police captain allegedly used the N-word over a police radio. He later claimed the department blocked his promotion to sergeant because he made the complaint.
The dispute began in 2022, when Lawson had worked for the Asbury Park Police Department for about 18 years. According to Atlanta Black Star, he was on patrol and overseeing a road construction detail when he heard what he believed was Patrol Captain John Crescio using the racial slur over the radio. The lawsuit said a recording captured Crescio appearing to say, “Oh sh-t, they drug that [n-word] out of there.” Lawson reported what he heard to Lt. Michael Barnes, who worked in Internal Affairs, and Officer Josh Kendle. Both officers said they also heard the slur during the live transmission. Two other Internal Affairs officers later listened to the recording and also believed they heard the word.
Crescio denied using the slur and gave a different explanation for the recording. During a deposition, he said his radio microphone accidentally turned on while he was talking with a friend about deer hunting. He said they were discussing “big bucks chasing the does.” After learning about Lawson’s complaint, Crescio reportedly called him “an outright liar” and said the incident never happened. Crescio then filed Internal Affairs complaints against Lawson, Barnes and Kendle.
He accused them of working together to make up the allegation. Internal Affairs removed Barnes from his position. An Internal Affairs officer later recommended clearing Lawson, Barnes and Kendle of Crescio’s accusations. The lawsuit also said a detective with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office acknowledged that the recording sounded like Crescio had used the N-word. The prosecutor’s office, however, did not sustain the complaint against the captain.
Lawson said the dispute was part of larger racial problems within the department. He had previously testified in a separate lawsuit brought by Sgt. Marshawn Love, who accused the department of retaliation after reporting an off-duty officer who killed his wife. During that case, Lawson spoke about what he described as unfair treatment of officers of color.
He also testified about a group some officers allegedly called the “CRAB Club,” which stood for “Crazy Racists Against Blacks.” Lawson said non-white officers sometimes were not allowed to train new recruits, even though he was a certified field training officer. The city denied that racial discrimination affected his job.
Lawson also said the department blocked his path to becoming a sergeant. He had passed the civil service exam and ranked second on the promotion list behind Craig Breiner. According to his lawsuit, Lawson told the city manager he wanted to fill two open sergeant positions. He said city officials chose not to fill the positions instead. Lawson claimed the decision was retaliation for his complaints and racial discrimination. City officials denied that.
They said no one was promoted to sergeant while Lawson’s civil service list was active because the department already had 11 sergeants and did not need another one. Officials also pointed to previous promotions of Black and other minority officers. They argued that Lawson had not shown that his complaints caused the decision not to promote him.
The case ended with a settlement before the trial could begin. Lawson and the city reached a $1.185 million settlement in New Jersey Superior Court about a week before the scheduled June 8, 2026, trial. Under the June 15 agreement, the New Jersey Intergovernmental Insurance Fund agreed to pay Lawson in four installments between July and October.
The amount includes attorney fees and costs. The settlement does not say that the city or its officials admitted wrongdoing or liability. Lawson retired in July 2024 after 20 years with the department.
SOURCE: blacknews.com