Pittsburgh Bureau Of Police Accused Of Discrimination

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The ACLU has filed a class-action lawsuit again the Pittsburgh Police Bureau claiming racial discrimination in its hiring policies for police recruits.

The ACLU filed its suit on behalf of two black men – James Foster and Mike Sharp – who say they were wrongfully passed over when the new recruits were chosen.

Both men say they passed the written and oral exams, but were overlooked when members of the command staff reviewed their applications.

"When you look at the results, they are discriminatory. There is no way that random chance could ever justify the kind of disparities that we see here," Vic Walczak said.

Wednesday, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl touted the city's most recent police recruit class, calling it the most diverse in a decade.

He called the lawsuit "frivolous" and said the city has taken many steps to better recruit and retain minority applicants.

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