Former Detroit police officers have filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and the city. The officers claim they were forced from their jobs after investigating the mayor and his personal security team. An economist expert witness testified that the mayor’s decision to remove Gary Brown as a deputy police chief cost the veteran officer over $2 million in lost wages and benefits. Kilpatrick and attorneys for the city argue that the officers retired voluntarily. The Detroit Free Press also reports:
The expert witness also testified that former mayoral bodyguard Harold Nelthrope could be out nearly $600,000. That figure includes salary Nelthrope would have received had he not retired as a police officer in 2003, as well as projected future earnings.
If the jury rules in favor of the city, the officers could receive little or no money as a result of their lawsuit.