Chaska PD disciplines officer accused of racial discrimination

The Chaska Police Department has disciplined an officer who has been accused of racially discriminating against Latinos.

Officer Joshua Lawrenz was the subject of "a complex and extensive investigation" conducted by the Soldo Consulting Group, according to a statement released by the Chaska PD. As a result of that investigation, "Lawrenz will perform no work for, nor be compensated by, the Chaska Police Department."

"Lawrenz is represented by a union and has the right to file a grievance to contest the disciplinary action through the grievance and arbitration process, including an arbitration hearing," the release adds.

According to the Chaska Herald, the investigation into Lawrenz came after a September 2014 city council meeting where a number of Latinos voiced concerns about his conduct.

"He asked me if I had our [immigration] papers and I said ‘no,'" one Latina woman said during the meeting. "And I don't think that he had the right to ask me if I'm legal here. He told me he can arrest me just because I have no papers... That police [officer], he told me that he wants to send every single person [that] doesn't have no license back to Mexico."