Fired Raleigh detective fought for his job as others wanted him arrested, letter shows
As some called for a fired Raleigh police detective named in federal lawsuits and linked to fake drug arrests to face criminal charges, Omar Abdullah was fighting to keep his job, a city document shows.
After multiple appeals, Abdullah’s October termination was upheld once again last week, according to a March 11 letter to him from Deputy City Manager Tansy Hayward.
“Given the facts of the appeal and a thorough review of all the evidence provided by both you and RPD, I find it appropriate to uphold the termination,” states the letter obtained by The News & Observer after a public information request.
The decision followed a review of an Oct. 11 appeal, subsequent appeals, comments at a Nov. 5 hearing, and documentation allowed to be submitted through Feb. 23, the letter states.
According to city policy, the grievance process includes the employee appealing to his or her department head and then the city manager.
From there a person has 30 days to appeal to the Raleigh Civil Service Commission., which can uphold, modify or reverse actions, along with award back pay.
Abdullah was fired in October after defense attorneys and then a federal civil lawsuit questioned drug-trafficking charges against about 15 men who spent a total of two-and-a-half-years incarcerated before the charges against them were dismissed.
Abdullah and the confidential informant he managed, Dennis Williams, were involved in the arrests of the men using drugs that turned out to be fake.
In September the city agreed to pay $2 million to settle the lawsuit filed by some of the men charged and their families. A second lawsuit was filed last month.
Abdullah, who earned $69,373, started at the Raleigh Police Department in February 2009, according to information provided by police.
In 2017, he was promoted from senior officer to police detective.
He was put on administrative duty on Aug. 26, 2020, and then administrative leave about a week later.
Earlier this week, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman vacated two drug trafficking convictions against David Weaver, who was charged after an investigation involving Abdullah and Williams.
Freeman said she expects to vacate about a half-a-dozen more convictions.
Meanwhile, attorneys associated with the civil lawsuit and Abdullah’s initial charges, along with family members of those who were incarcerated, have called for Abdullah to face criminal charges.
Freeman said the investigation is ongoing.
