A Cleveland detective who previously came under fire for allegedly sending racist text messages was suspended last week for not doing his job. According to reports, Detective John Kraynik was suspended for ten days without pay “following an internal investigation which began after it was discovered that he failed to properly investigate and/or complete multiple cases assigned to him,” a statement released by the city of Cleveland said.
In 2018, Kraynik faced backlash for allegedly sending racist text messages about Ohio State University football players in which he referred to them as n-words. Kraynik didn’t face punishment for the messages since they were discovered to be sent from his personal phone while he was off duty. The detective also came under fire for his involvement with the 2005 killing of a Black teenager, Brandon McCloud, who was fatally shot in his bedroom as Kraynik and his partner searched for evidence related to a pizza delivery robbery. A grand jury declined to indict Kraynik or his partner.
Kraynik’s suspension letter indicates that the detective “failed to complete 15 investigations” including missing paperwork from at least 12 reports.
“In failing to complete these reports, you did a disservice to those victims and violated community trust and expectations,” Public Safety Director Karrie D. Howard reportedly wrote in the letter.
Following the police-involved deadly shootings of Tamir Rice, Casey Goodson Jr, Andre Hill, and Ma’Khia Bryant in Ohio, community advocates have called on the US Department of Justice to investigate policing practices across the state.
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