Charges of racial discrimination and harassment brought against two DeKalb Police officers by an NIU student have led to an internal investigation of the incident.

The student made a formal complaint against Officers Richard Zenzen and J. Kenton Quist, alleging the officers harassed and physically assaulted him because he is black.

The student, a 22-year-old junior, said the incident took place Jan. 4 at Hardee’s Restaurant, 1101 W. Lincoln Hwy. The student, Leslie (who requested his last name be withheld) said he and a friend entered the restaurant shortly after an incident occurred involving an approximately 16-year-old black juvenile. The boy allegedly entered the women’s bathroom in the restaurant and attempted to steal a woman’s purse. The boy then ran from the restaurant and was followed by the manager.

Leslie said in his statement to police that he and his friend Robert (last name also withheld), a 22-year-old senior, were standing at the counter in Hardee’s ordering when Zenzen and Quist arrived, shortly after the young man ran from the scene. He said the officers were looking at him suspiciously.

When the two students were out in the parking lot, Zenzen and Quist approached them. Leslie related what happened in a written statement to the police: “Officer Zenzen said, ‘Hey, where’s your friend?’ We both replied, ‘We don’t have a friend here.'” The officers assumed that since the boy was black, he and the two students were together, Leslie said.

Leslie said Zenzen grabbed him by his right arm and struck him, saying “You’re going to tell me where your friend is.” In the statement, Leslie said he again said he did not have a friend there. Zenzen allegedly said he would hit him again and “do a lot more” if Leslie did not tell him who his friend was. At that time, Robert ran inside Hardee’s and brought out an employee to act as a witness, Leslie’s statement said. Zenzen then began to walk back to the squad saying, “If I really would have hit you, you would have gone down,” the statement said.

“It’s not my fault the kid and I were both black. Neither is it my fault the department thinks of all blacks as ‘partners in crime,'” Leslie said. He said, “I was just taken aback by this whole thing … this type of behavior just can’t be accepted.”

DeKalb Police Chief Joe Maciejewski said the internal investigation of the incident is almost finished. “The officer in charge has interviewed him (Leslie) and all the witnesses involved,” he said. Based on the information gathered in the investigation, he said, the department will make a decision whether to bring criminal or departmental charges against the officers or make the determination that the charges are unfounded.