Latino Cops in Orange County, CA, Sue for Discrimination

Three Latino police officers have been trying to move up the career ladder in Westminster, California, but they haven’t gotten very far. They’ve been passed-up repeatedly in favor of less experienced officers. The only difference is that the one’s that got the promotions have all been white. So the three sued and MALDEF took their case. Fox News Latino reports:

“We want the police department’s manner of promotion to change, we want promotions to be given to people who deserve them and for there to be no discrimination,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, MALDEF national senior counsel Victor Viramontes, told Efe.

One of the plaintiffs, Jose Flores, has been with the Westminster police force for ten years. Westminster is in Orange County, California and over the past six years he’s applied for promotions four times and been rejected each time.

“When I asked why and what criteria were used to give (the promotion) to others, they didn’t want to answer me,” said the officer, adding that on one of those occasions, the promotion was given to a white officer “who I had trained and who had only one year of experience.”

The other two plaintiffs, Brian Perez and Ryan Reyes, tell similar stories of being rejected in favor of less experienced white candidates. Latinos make up twenty percent of the Westminster population.

MALDEF President Thomas A. Sáenz said at Wednesday’s press conference. “It’s particularly troubling when the discriminator is a police department, a department that has a sacred public trust to serve the entire community and to enforce the laws.”

According to the report the lawsuit also asks for monetary compensation.

Follow Victor Landa on Twitter @vlanda.