PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD – A federal judge has granted a motion by Black and Latinx officers in the Prince George’s County Police Department to impose a preliminary injunction on PGPD’s promotion system, which has been shown in expert reports to be plagued with extensive and systemic racial disparities.
The following quote can be attributed to Lt. Thomas Boone, President of the United Black Police Officers Association:
“We have spoken out against discriminatory practices in the hiring and promotion processes since at least 2016, and are hopeful about this first step of many towards improvement. The end goal will always be to create a fair and just environment for Black and Brown officers so that we can better serve our community.”
The following quote can be attributed to Joanna Wasik, Counsel with the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs:
“We applaud the Court’s order, because equity inside the Department is critical to the police’s external relationship with a community that is majority Black and Latinx. The Court has directed the County to address the entrenchment of white officers in command positions, and to reform a promotion system that has allowed officers guilty of discrimination to rise through the ranks. The Court specifically noted that the County has known about this discrimination for years and County Executive Alsobrooks refused to address it without a court order. The Court has now directed that the County fix the discriminatory practices at PGPD, and make sure that there is an inclusive process for deciding on the right officers to lead the force to fairly and safely serve the community.”
Learn more, here.
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