Complaints of prejudice to be probed
Investigator will look into police officers’ claims of racial, sexual-orientation or gender discrimination
“I appreciate the city attorney and the city manager being proactive and trying to ensure fairness in the process.”
Dean Trantalis, Fort Lauderdale mayor
FORT LAUDERDALE — Fort Lauderdale has hired an investigator to look into police officers’ complaints that the force is beleaguered by racial, gender and sexual-orientation discrimination.
Gregg Rossman, a former prosecutor, will look into the department, where four members of the agency have claimed discrimination when it comes to internal promotions. The officers’ lawyer said the complaints have been filed with the local district office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which investigates workplace discrimination.
Three of the officers are male, and one is female and their names are not yet public. Although the first two officers who filed complaints were identified as white, the races of the other two have not been made public. They say the new police chief has publicly pushed a “minority-first agenda” based on race, gender and sexual orientation.
Rossman, who could not be reached for comment Friday, will investigate the “allegations received and heard by the city,” confirmed City Attorney Alain E. Boileau on Friday. Boileau said the city “has not been provided with any EEOC filings at this point, nor any formal written complaint from an employee, so we do not know any specific allegations.”
The City Commission does not have to approve the contract, which is still being drafted. The hiring is at the discretion of the city manager, who also consulted with the city attorney in this case. How much the city will pay Rossman for the inquiry was not available.
Attorney Tonja Haddad Coleman represents the officers and said Friday that “we welcome the opportunity to work with an outside, independent investigator, as it is highly unlikely that the city would admit fault or that there is a pattern of discrimination occurring at the hands of their handpicked chief.”
Larry Scirotto, a former assistant chief from Pittsburgh, took over the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in August as chief. Through a spokeswoman late Friday afternoon, he referred questions to City Hall.
Rossman is expected to speak with the officers who filed the complaints, as well as other officers with known grievances. “I appreciate the city attorney and the city manager being proactive and trying to ensure fairness in the process,” said Mayor Dean Trantalis.