Alabama Police Officers On Leave Upon Discovery of Membership to Hate Group

The City of Anniston has placed two police officers on administrative leave over allegations that the two belong to hate groups.

The Southern Poverty Law Center Wednesday posted on its Hatewatch blog an article alleging that Lt. Josh Doggrell and Lt. Wayne Brown had ties to the League of the South, an organization the SPLC termed as "neo-confederate."

The SPLC identifies the term as meaning groups that advocate "traditional gender roles, … hostile towards democracy, strongly opposes homosexuality, and exhibits an understanding of race that favors segregation and suggests white supremacy."

In a statement this afternoon, the city announced the two were being placed on leave. Aziza Jackson, a spokeswoman for the city, said she did not know if the two were on paid or unpaid administrative leave.

In the SPLC post and video, Doggrell is quoted as saying that, during a department interview in which he mentioned his ties to the group, he told officials, "I'm not going to sell out my position with the League, as something I believe in strongly. If it came down to it, I'd choose the League."

According to Doggrell, the chief responded, "We pretty much think like you do." It was not clear from the statement when this encounter occurred, or who the police chief would have been.

Anniston city officials referred media members to the city's released statement.