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A Black former New Jersey police officer will receive $1.185 million after alleging he faced retaliation for reporting that a police captain used the N-word over a police radio.
Ahmed Lawson sued Asbury Park and its police department in 2022, alleging that then-Captain John Crescio retaliated against him after Lawson reported the incident to Internal Affairs, according to NJ.com.
Lawson had served with the department for 18 years when he filed the lawsuit. His complaint alleged that Crescio was heard saying, “Oh s***, they drug that ‘n-word’ out of there.”
Crescio denied using the slur. During a deposition, he said his radio accidentally transmitted a phone conversation he was having with another city employee about hunting, according to New Jersey 101.5. Crescio also filed an Internal Affairs complaint against Lawson and two other officers who said they heard the slur, accusing them of conspiring against him.
Lawson also alleged he was denied a promotion to sergeant despite ranking second on the Civil Service list. The lawsuit claimed the department left two sergeant positions vacant rather than promote either of the two highest-ranked candidates, according to NJ.com.
Lawson and the city reached a $1.185 million settlement on June 15, resolving the case without a trial, according to New Jersey 101.5.
The settlement does not include an admission of wrongdoing or liability by the city, and it comes amid a history of racism allegations against the Asbury Park Police Department.
New Jersey 101.5 reported that the Lawson case was one of five racism-related lawsuits filed against the department over a decade. In 2023, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office appointed an internal monitor after repeated allegations of systemic racism.
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