Diop Kamau

Diop Kamau (born Don Jackson, ) is an American civil rights activist and former law enforcement officer. Kamau transitioned from law enforcement to activism after his father was beaten by police officers and he himself experienced racial harassment on the job. Kamau runs the Police Complaint Center to collect and investigate allegations of police abuse.

Early life and education Kamau was born in south Los Angeles County. His father, Woodrow Jackson, was one of the first Black men hired by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. Kamau graduated from California Lutheran College. In 1996, Kamau attended Florida State University in Tallahassee as a graduate student.

Kamau earned his master's degree at Penn State University. He pursued a PhD in criminology at Florida State University. Kamau was an adjunct professor at Penn State, Florida A&M University, and Florida State University.

Career

After graduating from California Lutheran College, Kamau joined the Ventura County Sheriff's Department as a deputy. In 1982, he joined the Hawthorne Police Department in 1982 and was promoted to sergeant in 1986. In Hawthorne, Kamau was offended by racist slurs by his co-workers. Kamau went on disability leave from the Hawthorne Police Department in 1987. Kamau filed a lawsuit against the Hawthorne Police Department for racial discrimination and harassment. Kamau's father, now retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, was pulled over by Pomona police and beaten; Woodrow filed a lawsuit against the city and the Pomona Police Department. Kamau was motivated by this incident to document police officers abusing people.

Kamau set up the Police Complaint Center in Florida in 1994 to investigate allegations of misconduct and abuse by law enforcement officers across the United States, which he blames on the culture of secrecy in police departments. Kamau provides training on problems such as racial profiling to law enforcement agencies across the country. Over six months, the Police Complaint Center investigated 170 complaints from across the country. Kamau partnered with the NAACP and Florida State University in 2000 to set up a complaint process for people to report abusive police behavior. Kamau and Tyra have a daughter.