Blackburn supporter faces own sexual harassment case

THE HIGH-RANKING police official who determined that allegations of sexual harassment could not be substantiated against Deputy Commissioner William Blackburn was later removed from Internal Affairs for allegedly coercing his own aide into having sex.

When Capt. Debra Frazier alleged that Blackburn called and texted her at all hours, leered at her at the gym and lamented not striking Frazier with his car, Internal Affairs investigated her Equal Employment Opportunity complaint.

Seven witnesses, including one former and four current police officers, backed up part or all of Frazier's allegations.

Yet in late March, Staff Inspector Jerrold Bates, who worked in Internal Affairs and also oversaw the EEO unit, wrote that Frazier's claims could not be sustained.

"The investigation has revealed that D/C Blackburn's style of management is a very hands-on style," Bates wrote in the review, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News.

Bates was removed from Internal Affairs after a former aide, Keisha Johnson, accused him in July in a federal EEOC complaint of coercing her into having sex during work hours so that she could keep her job with an 8 to 4 shift and have weekends off. Bates allegedly told her that she could be replaced if she didn't comply.

Bates, a married 21-year veteran, was also the subject of Internal Affairs complaints from his former fiancee and his ex-wife over a period of six years in the 1990s. They both told authorities that Bates assaulted and threatened them.

Bates now serves as a court liaison.

In August, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey arranged through the City Solicitor's Office to have the law firm of Spector Gadon & Rosen handle an investigation into Johnson's claims.

That investigation is still ongoing.

Ramsey also ordered Internal Affairs to review any internal EEO complaints that Bates had deemed unfounded.

But Ramsey told the Daily News last week that he didn't know if the Frazier complaint had been given a second look, based on Bates' involvement.

"I've not looked at every case," he said. "I can't say if we've [reviewed] that or not . . . but he had a deputy commissioner that he worked for who had to agree or disagree with him."

Bates has not been charged with committing a crime. But the District Attorney's Office launched a probe in August to determine whether Bates should face criminal charges related to Johnson's allegations.