According to the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, three Virginia Tech students’ lawyers filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from BookHolders LLC after the students
“The county knew of these disparities. The county was getting regular reports from its own consultant about the fact that the promotional system was holding back officers of color, and decided to do nothing about it,” said Joanna Wasik, the attorney who is representing the officers.
Although Prince George’s County is a predominant Black and Hispanic community, the police department’s leadership is majority white. Sixty-one percent of its lieutenants and 81% of its captains are white.
“I can’t have the impact if it’s only one or two of us,” said Joe Perez, the president of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association and a former Prince George’s County police captain, who is among the officers who filed the suit. “If there’s many of us in the ranks, then we can change this broken system.”
Federal judge orders freeze on police promotions system in Prince George s after lawsuit alleges bias washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.