KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — A Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office employee who claims he was demoted because he ran against Sheriff Rick Fuller and lost has now filed a federal lawsuit, claiming it was retaliation.
Thomas Swafford claims that, shortly after he lost in the primary in 2016, he was stripped of his badge, gun and authority to make arrests and was demoted to a civilian position in the jail. He kept the same salary.
The suit claims a positive job performance evaluation suggests there was no just cause for the demotion.
It’s also true, however, that, in order to avoid having a lawsuit dismissed, that the plaintiff actually has to show damages, usually in excess of $25,000 to qualify for a federal hearing.
Fuller isn’t commenting.
