‘DOG WHISPERS’

White St. Louis County Police Lieutenant Says He’s a Victim of Racism

Lt. Keith Wildhaber, who is gay, quit the Diversity and Inclusion Unit after a minority officers group questioned his qualifications.

Last year, Lt. Kenneth Wildhaber won a $10 million settlement from the St. Louis County Police Department after alleging he was discriminated against because he is gay. Now Wildhaber, who is white, is stepping down as head of a Diversity and Include Unit, claiming he’s a victim of racism. A minority officers group raised questions about Wildhaber’s qualifications; he has no formal training in diversity and inclusion, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. He announced Friday that he had asked for transfer to another unit. “The dog whispers of a gay, white guy being unable to lead Diversity and Inclusion were loud and clear,” he wrote on Facebook. “Systemic racism is alive and well.”

This has been updated to reflect that Lt. Kenneth Wildhaber works for the St. Louis County Police, not the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.