Local police sergeant on Oath Keepers membership rolls, documents show
MAUMEE, Ohio (WTVG) - A local police sergeant sought membership with what the Anti-Defamation League calls an anti-government extremist group, according to documents obtained from a nonprofit coalition of journalists.
Maumee Police Sgt. Greg Westrick appeared on internal membership rolls for the Oath Keepers, according to documents obtained by 13abc that were compiled by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit organization comprised of journalists who focus on data transparency.
It’s unclear at this time whether Westrick participated in any events with the group but the documents show he was interested in local rallies.
The documents show Westrick touted his gunsmith training in applying for membership with the group. He told the Oath Keepers that he was “interested in local rallies. As far as talents, I am a trained gunsmith and certified sic armored on a few weapon systems. But I also have computer skills for above average web applications.”
The Maumee Chief of Police, Josh Sprow, told 13abc the department is investigating the matter.
“We have policies and procedures in place that we will follow as to our investigation,” Sprow said. He went on to say there is no type of administrative leave in place at this time.
The Oath Keepers are accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Southern Poverty Law Center said it is one of the largest far-right antigovernment groups in the U.S. today.
The ADL’s breakdown of the documents said that 1200 Ohioans signed up for Oath Keepers membership, including 17 law enforcement officials, 8 first responders, 2 with a military background, and 1 elected official.
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