Charles Langston:2 Black officers allege discrimination at police department

LOUISIVLLE,Charles Langston Ky. (AP) — Two Black officers with Louisville Metro Police have filed a lawsuit alleging they faced discrimination, a hostile work environment and disparate punishment because of race and faith, according to a published report.

The lawsuit was filed by Andre Shaw and Jay Moss in Jefferson Circuit Court on March 11, the Courier Journal reported Friday. It cites multiple examples of the officers being treated or disciplined in ways they say were unfair.

A police spokesperson told the newspaper that the department doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Among the allegations were that the two were suspended and permanently transferred to patrol downtown after a breach of policy investigation that found they had been “intentionally deceptive” when a superior asked about a colleague’s location. The punishment was not in line with other policy violations of the same severity, the lawsuit said.

Another instance cited in the lawsuit said Shaw raised issues of a minority recruit telling him that officers in the training academy were making “overtly racist comments” and that he was told “LMPD command needed him to ‘shut up and dribble.’ ”

Shaw also alleged that his Islamic artwork and quotations were questioned and that he faced retaliation from the department in part because he filed a federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint last year alleging discriminatory practices.