LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A veteran Kentucky police officer with over 30 years of law enforcement experience has filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging he was unfairly dismissed from the state’s police training academy due to his physical disability.
Danny Jackson, who has served in law enforcement roles ranging from the Covington Police Department to international posts with the U.S. Department of Justice in Iraq, claims he was removed from the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) in Richmond in 2022 for being “unsafe on the range.” At the time, Jackson was requalifying for duty after returning to the state to join the Radcliff Police Department.
According to the lawsuit filed last week in Franklin Circuit Court, Jackson, who was born with two fingers on one hand and one on the other, was denied the opportunity to demonstrate his ability to safely handle and fire a weapon. Despite decades of successful service, including weapons training overseas, Jackson said he was abruptly dismissed and labeled a failure.
“It was degrading, humiliating,” Jackson told WDRB News. “I’ve trained with so many weapons overseas, and I have never ever been called unsafe or failed to qualify.”
The suit names the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet as the defendant but focuses criticism on former DOCJT Commissioner Nicolai Jilek, who led the training program from 2020 to 2024. While Jilek is not named as a defendant, the complaint accuses him of orchestrating a discriminatory environment and personally blocking Jackson’s progress.
“When I tried to show a training officer how I handle a weapon, I wasn’t even allowed to demonstrate,” Jackson said. “The buck stops with [Jilek].”
The case is the second such lawsuit to emerge against the training academy under Jilek’s leadership. In a similar case, a Franklin Circuit Court judge ruled that former recruit Chance Anthony was unequivocally discriminated against in 2020 due to his disability. Anthony, who was born without a portion of his right arm, is now seeking $25 million in damages from the state.
Court records in Anthony’s case allege that Jilek ordered officials to falsify test scores and change Anthony’s status from “graduate” to “failure.” An affidavit from a former training official, Roy Jude, supports these claims, stating Anthony had “excelled” and met all requirements before being disqualified.
Attorneys for both Jackson and Anthony argue the pattern of exclusion under Jilek points to systemic discrimination. “There is a common thread that runs through both of these cases,” attorney Thomas Clay said. “He [Jilek] has no business training anybody.”
Now a major in charge of the Louisville Metro Police Department’s training division, Jilek has declined comment, referring inquiries to the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. A spokesperson for the cabinet said they have not yet reviewed Jackson’s lawsuit but reaffirmed their commitment to “exceptional law enforcement training that enhances public and officer safety.” The spokesperson also noted the cabinet disagrees with the judge’s ruling in Anthony’s case.
After his initial dismissal, Jackson re-enrolled in the academy within the one-year window allowed for retesting. This time, he provided a letter invoking his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. He passed, scoring 92 out of 100 on the range.
Although now back on the job in Radcliff, Jackson said the experience left him angry and embarrassed.
“I was already doing this job for over 30 years,” he said. “To be told I couldn’t do it anymore — just because of how I was born — was infuriating.”
Jackson said he was motivated to come forward after hearing about Anthony’s case. “I reached out to him,” Jackson recalled. “I wanted him to know he wasn’t alone.”
No trial date has been set for Jackson’s case, while a jury will soon determine financial damages in Anthony’s.
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