US Justice Department Settles Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Vs. Chicago Police Department

The US Department of Justice recently announced that it has arrived at a settlement agreement with the city of Chicago. This is with regards to the resolution of the accusation that the Chicago Police Department has discriminated against entry-level applicants for police officers just on the basis of their national origin, allegedly violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Justice Department, in a joint motion with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, filed a motion on Feb. 16, requesting the court to enter a provisional order that will define the terms of the settlement agreement. That includes over $2 million in back pay, pension benefits and several priority hires.

A request for time for fairness hearing was included in the motion in compliance with Title VII to give opportunity to affected parties to air their side on the settlement.

The minute the proposed settlement is approved by the district court, the complaint which was filed originally on Feb. 5, 2016, will be finally resolved.

It was the US Justice Department who first filed the complaint. The agency alleged that after their investigations, they have proven that the city of Chicago has discriminated against those trying to enter the city's police force who lack the residency requirement of 10 years.

This recent Chicago Police Department settlement was announced at a time when there are numerous criticisms leveled against members of the city's police force for their use of lethal methods to quell alleged 'trouble makers.'

The discrimination suit is different from the investigation conducted by the Justice Department looking into the CPD's use-of-force practices that stemmed from several protests over a number of black men who were allegedly killed by the police officers of the CPD over the last couple of years.

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