Officer changes story about JDL referral

A suspended North Las Vegas police officer has changed his story about how he enlisted support from the right-wing, militant Jewish Defense League in his personnel battle with the department.

Officer Mike Thomas now says he went directly to the Nevada JDL after finding the group's Reno chapter on the Internet.

Earlier, Thomas said he had been referred to the JDL by the Anti-Defamation League. Actually, Thomas had not contacted the ADL at all, he now says.

Thomas, who claims his personnel problems stem from anti-Semitism within the department, said he had confused the ADL with another group and that he had mixed up a sequence of events.

In a statement Tuesday, the ADL said: "The Anti-Defamation League would never refer a complainant to the Jewish Defense League. We have nothing but contempt for their organization and their methods of operation. Mr. Thomas has never contacted our organization about these allegations.

"We're concerned about the allegations of anti-Semitism raised by Officer Thomas. Any time charges arise against a public institution, it has a responsibility to take the allegations seriously and investigate their bona fides. We trust that the police department is undertaking that investigation at the present time. The Anti-Defamation League is always available to assist in resolving matters of this kind."

Lt. Joe Forti, North Las Vegas Police Department spokesman, said that Thomas' claims of bias within the department were not true.

Forti also said that Thomas has never verbally or in writing filed complaints with the police department alleging bias.

The department's Internal Affairs Bureau searched its records as did the city attorney's office and found nothing to substantiate Thomas' claims that he had filed complaints, Forti said.

Thomas, who contends he has filed several complaints, said Tuesday that he would produce his own copies of the reports, but he has not done so.

"I challenge him to produce any reports," Forti said. "To my knowledge he has never complained orally or in writing about anti-Semitism."

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