Michigan Cop Placed On Leave For Having Framed KKK Application In Home

A Michigan police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a framed application for joining the Ku Klux Klan was found hanging in his bedroom. Rob Mathis, who is black, was looking for a new home and went to view Charles Anderson's house in Muskegon with his wife and son.

When they walked inside, they noticed Anderson had a collection of Confederate flags displayed throughout his home. As they continued the tour, they saw photographs of Anderson in his police uniform and learned that he was an officer with the Muskegon Police Department.

While they were viewing Anderson's master bedroom, Rob noticed a plaque hanging on the wall and went to take a closer look at it. What he discovered made him sick to his stomach.

"There's just this one plaque on the wall, so I walk over to the wall and take a closer look, it said it was a KKK application," Mathis told WOOD-TV. "I said, 'I want to get out [of] here right now.'"

The Mathis family ended the tour and told their realtor they would not be making an offer on Anderson's home. He also notified the Muskegon Police Department of what he found and shared a photo of the application in a since-deleted post on Facebook.

Mathis says that he is concerned that Anderson could be "hiding behind his uniform and possibly harassing people of color and different nationalities."

Muskegon officials say the police department has launched an internal investigation into Anderson, who is a 20 year veteran of the force.

Mathis hopes that once the investigation is over, Anderson will lose his job.

"I think he should lose his job," Rob told WXMI. "There is no way a person who is racist should police the public. Muskegon is a very diverse community."

Anderson did not comment on the investigation, but his wife denied that he is a member of the KKK.