Maryland approves $2.75 million settlement in state police discrimination case

Maryland officials on Wednesday approved a $2.75 million settlement to resolve a federal investigation into discriminatory hiring practices affecting black and female applicants to the Maryland State Police.

The settlement, approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works, will include changes to how applicants are tested.

Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who chairs the three-member board, said the federal investigation began in 2022 before he took office last year and that his administration had pledged to cooperate fully from the beginning.

“Over the past 19 months, we have worked in full partnership with the Department of Justice to bring this matter to a close and also to establish a plan to ensure that this does not happen again,” Moore said.

State police have faced other allegations of discrimination in recent years. The officers previously sued the Maryland State Police, alleging widespread discrimination in promotions and disciplinary actions.

In the current case, the Justice Department alleged that the state police used a written test that discriminated against black applicants and a physical fitness test that discriminated against female applicants.

The tests disqualified black applicants and women from the hiring process at significantly disproportionate rates, and the U.S. Attorney’s office concluded that the tests violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Title VII is a federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin, and religion.

The deal still has to be approved by a federal judge.

Col. Roland Butler, superintendent of the Maryland State Police, told the Board of Public Works that the discriminatory practices against 48 individuals were found to be unintentional, but that discrimination of any form “does not occur in the Maryland State Police “.

“We are working closely with our DOJ partners to adopt new testing procedures under this consent decree,” Butler said.

Since the governor appointed him to lead the agency last year, Butler said he has worked with his leadership team to modernize the agency’s practices “to renew the commitment to transparency and accountability and to elevate the culture of police force and service.” “

“Today, we take another significant step forward in meeting that goal,” Butler said.

Sarah Marquardt, an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland who worked on the investigation, said the Department of Justice and the Maryland State Police collaborated throughout the process.

In addition to the cash payments, the agreement also requires the state police to hire up to 25 applicants who were wrongfully disqualified by previous tests and who successfully complete the new trooper screening and selection process.

“Equal employment opportunity in law enforcement is not only a basic civil right, it is essential to ensure that those who serve reflect the rich racial and gender diversity of the communities they are sworn to protect,” the attorney general said Deputy General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice. The right division. “The underrepresentation of blacks and women in law enforcement undermines public safety and contravenes the principle of equal opportunity.”

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Maryland law enforcement