Two Anniston officers placed on Administrative Leave

Two Anniston police officers are on administrative leave after the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) says it has found evidence they belong to a designated hate group.

According to the SPLC, a two-year-old video of Lt. Josh Doggrell speaking at a League of the South (LOS) conference recently came to the attention of Hatewatch, which is part of the SPLC. The SPLC claims that Anniston Police Lt. Wayne Brown also attended League of the South events. The SPLC says Hatewatch has alerted the Anniston Police Department and city leadership about the officers.  The SPLC describes the League of the South as a neo-Confederate group that supports a new Southern secession and a white-dominated society. LOS believes in limited government, have strong beliefs in protecting the Second Amendment, and the group's president has been vocal on who he considers his people.   In the 2013 video, Doggrell talks about several topics, including his loyalty to the league, which the SPLC says he joined in 1995. They add he was allegedly investigated for his League ties and cleared in 2009.  During his speech he said it was good to be "among people who think like I do for a change." Later he said, "I work at Anniston, which I will go ahead and go on record, nothing I say here today is necessarily the views of the Anniston Police Department. I speak only as an individual, not an employee of that agency."  Anniston City Council Member David Reddick doesn't agree with that statement, saying police officers are held at a higher standard. Reddick said this sort of allegiance puts a black eye on not just officers, but the entire city. When asked if these two officers ever showed any aggression while on the job, Reddick didn't know but referenced the fact the Doggrell had been investigated for his connections to LOS back in 2009. It's something Doggrell spoke about at the 2013 convention.

The city of Anniston released this statement on the allegations:

After being made aware of the Wednesday, June 17 article by the SPLC, the City of Anniston is taking allegations made against Lt. Brown and Lt. Doggrell very seriously and have placed both officers on administrative leave. Lt. Brown and Lt. Doggrell do not speak for the City of Anniston nor the Anniston Police Department. The City of Anniston has commenced an investigation into this matter and will work diligently to ensure the appropriate action is taken.