Former Lafayette Police Chief Thomas Glover has filed suit against his former employers in federal court, alleging that he was fired because he's Black.
Glover was hired by the Guillory Administration in 2020. He had worked at the Dallas Police Department for more than 30 years, but had Louisiana ties in that he is a graduate of Grambling. Mayor-President Josh Guillory fired him in October 2021.
The suit, filed on February 28, alleges that the reasons given since then for his termination are "false and pretextual."
The suit alleges a meeting with CAO Cydra Wingerter, during which he was told he had failed to meet goals - which he said he had never seen before. They included goals like "Fix PD" and "Find Crime/Fight Crime," and, Glover alleges, he was told he had failed to drop the crime rate - even though those rates aren't calculated until the end of the calendar year. Additionally, the crime rate decreased during his tenure, the suit alleges.
Glover's suit alleges that, in the days prior to his termination, he received texts from Guillory telling him what a great job he was doing. He alleges that Guillory called him the “best police chief in America" on a radio call-in show and at City Council meetings, as late as 36 hours prior to his firing.
So why was he fired? The suit alleges it was because of politics, including those of the police union:
"During Mr. Glover’s tenure at LCG, a White man assumed the position of Police Union President. On reasonable information and belief, about two weeks after this turnover, union leadership requested a meeting with Mayor-President Guillory," the suit states. "In a meeting with Mayor-President Guillory, leaders of the Police Union reportedly requested that Plaintiff be terminated because Mr. Glover had terminated two (2) White officers for using excessive force on handcuffed prisoners and terminated a Black officer who had tested positive for illegal drug use.
"LCG and Guillory terminated Mr. Glover because of his race."
Glover also alleges that during his interview for the job Guillory raised concerns about some statements Glover made while he was in Dallas, years before he applied to be Lafayette's chief.
"During the interview process for the position of Chief of Police, Guillory commented to Mr. Glover that some of his political supporters had “concerns” about Mr. Glover, apparently over interviews Mr. Glover gave in Dallas, in July 2016 wherein Mr. Glover asserted that racism persisted in policing and needed to be addressed," the suit alleges.
The interview was with PBS News Hour. To listen to it, or read the transcript, click here.
The suit states that Glover filed a discrimination complaint with the EEOC and was given a "right to sue" letter last fall. Glover also appealed his firing to the Lafayette Fire and Police Civil Service Board. The board upheld the termination, and Glover has appealed the board's decision.
We did an interview with the chief shortly after his termination, and he told us the same thing he said in his lawsuit - that he initially wasn't given a reason for the firing. To see it, click here.
We reached out to LCG for a comment; a spokesperson said they cannot comment on pending legal matters. We also reached out to the local police union for comment, and we'll update this story with any response we receive.
The current chief is the sixth chief since January 2020.
When Guillory took office, he requested that Chief Toby Aguillard resign, reportedly because of a poor relationship with Sheriff Mark Garber. Lt. Scott Morgan was appointed interim chief.
The Guillory administration then hired Glover from the Dallas Police Department, and fired him 10 months later.
Sgt. Wayne Griffin was appointed interim chief, but two weeks later was placed on administrative leave pending a sexual harassment investigation. He was later fired, as well. He recently was given his post as a sergeant back in an appeal.
The next interim chief, Major Monte Potier, was appointed in October 2021. He held the post until the current chief, Judith Estorge, was appointed in October 2022.
