Lower Merion Investigation Concludes Administration Did Not Discriminate

Township-initiated investigations have cleared and its Police Department of discrimination regarding Lower Merion Police Officer Kerry Godbold, specifically, and more broadly, the Police Department’s hiring and promotion practices, Board of Commissioners President Liz Rogan said during a commission meeting on Wednesday night.

Lower Merion Township hired a private attorney to investigate Godbold’s accusation that he was discriminated against when he was not promoted to the rank of sergeant, Rogan said.

The private attorney found that the township “did not discriminate in anyway” by expiring the Civil Service promotion list and not filling the vacancy for sergeant, Rogan said.

The attorney at down with Godbold after the findings were made to address any questions he had, Rogan said.

In a related issue, the private investigation firm which the township hired in July to probe allegations of discrimination, regarding hiring and promotion practices within the Lower Merion Police Department, has issued a report on its investigation, which will be available on the township website later this week, Rogan said.

Rogan said the report found there was “no evidence of discrimination at any stage.”

“The township believes that this report fully disputes the allegations,” Rogan said.

In another matter, the township conducted its own internal investigation into allegations which a Penn Wynne resident made against her neighbor, a Lower Merion police officer, accusing him of vandalizing her home, Rogan said.

Rogan said the township’s internal investigation found “there is no evidence to support that conclusion” and the township views the matter as closed.

The allegations were made by Kamal Kamara on behalf of his mother, Carolyn Kamara, of 1424 Greywall Lane in Penn Wynne, at a board meeting in June.