Wayne Kerschener, Florida Detention Officer, Fired for Admitting to Being a Member of the Ku Klux Klan, Says it's a "Faith-Based" Organization

Florida Detention Officer Wayne Kerschener, fired after admitting to being a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Alachua County, Fla., detention officer, Wayner Kerschner, was fired after he admitted to being a member of the Ku Klux Klan. According to The Gainesville Sun, the termination came after the Sheriff's Office launched an internal investigation in which Kerschner stated that he joined the United Northern and Southern Knights of the KKK in December 2008. He said he became interested in the group through his wife, Shanda Lynn Kerschner. It's a very serious matter when someone in law enforcement, who will come in contact with blacks, Latinos and other races, is in such a position and is a part of such an insidious organization. Kerschner's termination is justified and that should send the message that such offensive behavior will not be tolerated one iota.

Kerschner is quoted in an internal affairs report as describing the KKK as "faith-based, it is more of a religion-based organization, more of a political-based organization, that their hopes are to increase membership to further the political goals of the group, to look out for the white race ...."

The Sheriff's Office contends Kerschner violated a policy that prohibits employees from knowingly being a member of any subversive or terrorist organization except when necessary for the job and then only with the approval of the sheriff.

Documentation shows that Kerschner had taken oaths to follow the policies several times since 2005. A detective who is a member of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force notified the Office of Professional Standards about Kerschner's possible involvement in the Klan, prompting the investigation in which Kerschner was interviewed by several officers. Source: The Gainesville Sun

Kerschner reportedly traveled to Klan rallies in other states and routinely participated in message forums on KKK Web sites. According to the Gainesville Sun, the FBI was tipped to Kerschner's involvement in the Klan by the wife of a Florida Klan leader, who he identified as a Fruitland Park police officer -- another person who needs to be kicked off the force. Though there have been no reported incidents between Kerschner and black employees or inmates, you never know when the "Klan" in him will rear its ugly head.