π¨ Arkansas State Trooper Michael Austin Kennedy resigned after his wife filed 30 screenshots of his white supremacist text messages in their divorce case including calling areas βN*GGERLANDβ bragging about detained Hispanics as βtrophies,β and pushing to repeal the 19th Amendment.
The messages to his wife Alana were packed with racial slurs against Black and Hispanic people, rants blaming βillegal immigrantsβ and Black people for traffic and crime, and extreme views like banning Muslims from America. One message read: βYou donβt f*king hate them enough. The s*t that clogged up [their sonβs] toilet is worth more to me than any of them.β
Kennedy also sent selfies posing with detained Hispanic individuals while on duty, calling them his βtrophy.β
Alana amended her custody filing seeking sole custody. She stated his beliefs would βpoison the minds of the childrenβ and that the kids feared him because of his hate and irrational thoughts.
Kennedy resigned from the Arkansas State Police on May 15 shortly after the messages surfaced. In court papers he acknowledged the language but claimed it was βoutdatedβ and didnβt reflect his values today after therapy and church guidance. Arkansas State Police reviewed his traffic stops and citations and said there was no indication his views affected his job performance.
A man sworn to protect and serve all citizens was privately holding this level of hatred.
What screening or accountability should law enforcement agencies have so white supremacist views like these donβt stay hidden until they surface in divorce court?