Civil rights complaint filed against Eastpointe police alleges anti-Muslim harassment against officer
A civil rights complaint was filed on Wednesday against the Eastpointe Police Department, alleging anti-Muslim harassment against one of the department's police officers.
The complaint is filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
It alleges a Muslim and Arab American police officer was exposed to discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment following an incident on March 8, 2026.
"He was working in the detective's bureau, which is not a place where he normally works, and another officer came in and used a racial slur for Muslims, basically saying 'F*** all Muslims,' and was confronted about that. There were other supervisors in place and yet nobody made a complaint," said CAIR-MI lead staff attorney Amy Doukoure.
Doukoure claims the issue was brushed under the rug for about a month and was only investigated by Police Chief Corey Haines after CAIR-MI was notified.
"After that complaint, our client was being retaliated against. They treated him differently; they harassed him. He's felt so insecure that he took a month off work. What's more concerning than the fact that they are brushing this under the rug is that the individual who say 'F*** all Muslims' is still working on the job as a police officer," Doukoure stated.
The complaint compiles a long list of allegations and reported retaliation against this officer.
CBS News Detroit went to the police department about these claims and was told by Lt. Alex Holish that we would only be able to speak to Haines, as he was the one who investigated the complaint.
In a statement, Haines said, "This was an internal complaint that has been investigated and because it is an internal complaint, I cannot discuss this complaint publicly."
CAIR-MI is calling for an investigation.
"We're asking the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to get involved and make a determination on whether our clients rights were violated, whether the police department has engaged in illegal activity, and then force them to take remedial action including updating their policies, following their policies that they exist engaging in training, and then to compensate our client for the wages and the damages that he has as a result of what happened," said Doukoure.
