Dowling Johnson and Henaghan all said yesterdaythat, like some other guards, the guard claimedfrom his poor job performance.

"That's the normal reaction you're going to getfrom people with this problem," Henaghan said.

In an interview Monday, Johnson defended thesupervisors, directly denying both charges ofharassment.

"How could I, as a Black man, tolerate aracist supervisor?" said Johnson. "That wouldn'tmake sense."

The charges leveled by the guards and theofficials' denials of the charges representopposite poles of perception in the securitydivision of the police department.

In interviews this week, Harvard securityguards came down differently on the issue. Somecorroborated their colleagues' charges some sidedwith the officials. Most said that, while theyhave never personally witnessed harassment,charges of harassment are not unusual.

Some guards downplayed the alleged cases ofharassment, saying that conflict is inevitablebetween co-workers in a guard unit with more than100 employees.

"In any place where you have 100 workers, thereare going to be people who don't get along," saidJim Sullivan, a three-year veteran of the guardunit who is white.

Other guards said the perception ofdiscrimination is due to inconsistent treatment ofdisciplinary cases. They cited cases where guardsof different races were disciplined differentlyfor similar infractions.

"I will say discipline is not consistent," saidone female guard, who is Black. "And I probablythink that's why they think there's racism."

Dowling said discipline varies from case tocase but the division doesn't race as a factor.

Guards who criticized management's treatment ofits employees said harassment within thedepartment may lead to unfair treatment ofundergraduates who are racial of ethnicminorities.

"Lots of students complain and I think it isbecause they bring this to the field," the Russianguard said.

Of roughly two dozen guards approached by TheCrimson this week, only three said they had everwitnessed overt acts of harassment inside thedepartment.

But those three guards suggested that theirco-workers remain silent on the issue because theyfear reprisals.