Race Discrimination on the Prince George's Police Force

Feb 04, 2020

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We want officers to speak up against racist police practices and sexual harassment to help change the culture of policing. But when Officers of Color speak up against these unconstitutional practices they often experience discrimination and retaliation. For this Black History Month, we sat down with an African American officer, Lieutenant Sonya Zollicoffer, second vice president of the United Black Police Officers Association, and with a Latino officer Retired Captain Joe Perez, president of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association.

We talk about why they and over 10 other Officers of Color decided to file a lawsuit against Prince George’s County Police Department challenging the department’s pattern and practice of unconstitutional conduct. And we ask them about their message to other Black and Brown officers and women officers fighting against discrimination in their police departments.

Produced and Hosted by: Amber Taylor, digital communications strategist, ACLU of Maryland
Edited by: Afiya Ervin, communications intern, ACLU of Maryland

This podcast was recorded on Piscataway land.

Thinking Freely, ACLU of Maryland's podcast, will inform Marylanders about what's happening politically – from the courts to the streets – so they can get involved and realize a more equitable Maryland for all.

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The MeToo Era: Sonya Zollicoffer’s Story

In the era of MeToo, brave people continue to speak out against sexual violence. Sonya Zollicoffer has joined voices across the nation by exposing the truth about the sexual harassment she endured while she was a police trainee in Prince George’s Police Department in 2001. Zollicoffer has also filed a legal challenge, along with members of the United Black Police Officers Association and the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association, to racial discrimination and retaliation against officers and community members of color in the PGPD.