The police officer who posted anti-Semitic comments and praise for Hitler will suffer no consequences after no charges were filed against him as his words were considered "technicalities." Ismail Quran, who was awarded the 2019 Officer of the Year award in Cleveland, will not lose his decoration or his job.
After posting comments in 2014 against the Jewish community or in favor of Adolf Hitler or the terrorist gang Hamas, the Cleveland Police Internal Affairs department opened an investigation against the officer. In 2014, Ismail Quran was not yet a Cleveland Police officer. It was in 2018 when he joined the police force that the investigation began.
"Salute to Hitler the great."
On his social networks, Agent Quran tweeted phrases such as "salute to Hitler the great" and threats towards the Jewish community for constituting a "lobby" that in his opinion rules the country. Apart from that, he had several verbal confrontations with Jewish Twitter users.
So far, Ismail Quran has not issued an apology to the Jewish community for the comments and insults he targeted against them.
Reactions
Several Jewish and pro-Israel groups were outraged by the Internal Affairs department’s decision to exempt agent Quran. Simon Wiesenthal Center, Canary Mission and StopAntisemitism.org issued a joint statement criticizing the decision and pointing out the "anti-Semitism" of the police forces:
The lack of any meaningful consequences for Quran sends a disturbing message—discrimination against Jews is tolerated and excused.
On the other hand, Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb and Police Chief Wayne Drummond showed their displeasure towards the outcome of the investigation:
We are frustrated and disappointed that no charges can be filed against Officer Ismail Quran, despite extensive internal investigations by the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP), the City Prosecutor, and the Law Department. Officer Quran’s hateful offenses were communicated years before he was hired, making it impossible to successfully enforce discipline.
