Controversy Erupts After Ex-KKK State Trooper Gets Reinstated

Aug. 31, 2006 — -- All across the Internet landscape, bloggers are screaming out about the controversy surrounding a Nebraska State Patrol trooper and his membership in the KKK and white supremacist group the White Knights.

"Freakin' stupid racism," one blogger writes.

"A racist cop? I am shocked. SHOCKED!" writes another.

"Since 1871, the US has designated the KKK as a 'violent, terrorist organization.' But so is the state of Nebraska, for the most part," concludes yet another.

The furor followed a decision by an arbitrator who ordered the Nebraska State Patrol to reinstate Trooper Robert Henderson, 50, of Omaha, an 18-year veteran of the force.

He was fired in March after admitting he had been a KKK member and had made postings on the White Knights' members-only Web site since June 2004 while off-duty.

According to the arbitrator's report, Henderson said he had joined the Ku Klux Klan for two reasons: His wife had "divorced him for a minority" and the KKK had given him an avenue to vent his frustration.

However, the arbitrator's ruling said the Nebraska State Patrol had failed to demonstrate why Henderson posed a threat to the public or the patrol.

While the arbitrator said he shared "the disgust" the patrol has in Henderson's decision to align himself with white supremacist organizations, he said that his decision was based only on law and that in this case, the State Patrol had failed to prove that Henderson's termination was justified under the terms of the collective-bargaining agreement.

Public employees have broad protections when it comes to free speech and their political beliefs.

Because the State Patrol said that Henderson did nothing wrong on the job, the arbitrator said, Henderson's firing violated his right to free speech.

That decision did not sit well with Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning.

He has filed a motion to vacate the arbitrator's decision.

"We don't want this person on the staff [of the Nebraska State Patrol]," he said. "We don't want the agency destroyed by a racist like Bob Henderson."