WASHINGTON 鈥� The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that the Prince George鈥檚 County Police Department has discriminated against Hispanic and black officers.
Police Chief Hank Stawinski said in a statement Tuesday that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice had opened what is known as a pattern and practice investigation of 鈥渁llegations of discrimination against Hispanics and African Americans 鈥� with respect to their employment in sworn positions on our police department.鈥�
He added that he was informed of the investigation last Saturday, but hasn鈥檛 seen the actual complaint yet 鈥� indeed, he said at a news conference Tuesday that he hasn鈥檛 gotten a response from the Department of Justice to two requests for specifics.
Speaking after Stawinski鈥檚 news conference, Joe Perez, of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association, said the complaint was filed on behalf of 111 employees of the Prince George鈥檚 police regarding “disparate treatment in transfers, promotions and discipline.”
Stawinski said, 鈥淚 welcome this opportunity鈥� to cooperate with federal investigators. 鈥淥ur reputation for cooperating, for being change agents and being receptive to criticism, is well documented, going back a dozen years.鈥�
Perez, however, said that 鈥淲e鈥檝e met with the chief himself, and we鈥檝e discussed some of these issues, and we have not gotten anywhere.鈥�
Stawinski added that he had taken two steps in conjunction with the Fraternal Order of Police to address perceptions of discrimination: the publication of internal discipline results and the convening in April of a panel composed of active and retired officers, academics, county officials and community members 鈥渢o obtain facts and gain insights into perceptions about the Department and then provide specific guidance to me,鈥� he said in a statement earlier Tuesday.
鈥淚 believed that we were resolving these issues,鈥� he said at the news conference. 鈥淏oth those actions were taken independent of this complaint, and it will continue. So I see this as an opportunity to bring another set of eyes鈥� to the issues.
Stawinski added that 鈥淭he leadership of this department 鈥� reflects the diversity of this department.鈥� He said that the department was roughly 43 percent African-American, 45 white, with the rest being Asian or Latino. About 15 percent of the department is female, he said.
Stawinski said his father was the president of the Prince George鈥檚 police union 鈥渂ecause of things he saw done wrong鈥� in the police during the 1960s. 鈥淚鈥檓 a product of that thinking. 鈥� I won鈥檛 tolerate an unfair work environment; I will not tolerate injustice. I expect a lot from the men and women who do this job. I will not tolerate their believing that the environment inside the department isn鈥檛 conducive to their best interests.鈥�
‘We have not gotten anywhere’
Perez and Thomas Boone, a Prince George鈥檚 officer and president of the United Black Officers Association, painted a different picture.
While Stawinski said that he hadn’t gotten a response from the Justice Department, Perez claimed that the complaint had not been made available, saying it was provided to Public Safety Director Mark Magaw 鈥渟everal months ago.鈥�
Perez added, 鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking to the command staff, [including] the chief, over a period of time.鈥� He said they raised some of the issues in the complaints 鈥渢hat have not been addressed adequately鈥� and that they鈥檝e asked the Justice Department鈥檚 Community Relations Division to mediate the dispute with the department, but that the department refused.
The complainants are represented by the ACLU of Maryland and the Washington Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Perez said.
草莓传媒’s Dick Uliano and Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
