Police officer candidate wins discrimination suit against city of Gadsden

A man who applied to be a police officer in 2011 has won a discrimination lawsuit against the City of Gadsden following a federal court trial last week.  A jury awarded Michael D. Frazier $20,000, finding that the city discriminated by hiring lesser qualified minority applicants instead of hiring him, according to federal court documents.  Frazier’s suit claimed he applied to be a police officer about July 2011 and took his Civil Service exam on Aug. 24, 2011, placing him on the eligibility list, which is kept in numerical order. He claims he was ranked ninth on the list.  The suit alleges the police chief at the time, contrary to accepted practice, required a subordinate to provide him with gender and race information on each person on the eligibility roster. A position in the department opened up in January 2012. Frazier expressed interest and had an oral interview, but was not hired for the position. He received a letter saying the job had been filled by someone else.  The suit claimed the job was offered to the white female applicant with the highest test score. A short time later, the lawsuit stated, another opening was offered to an African-American police officer who had transferred in from another police department. Lateral transfers of certified peace officers is specifically authorized by Civil Service Board procedures according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges another opening was offered to an African-American man who was ranked below Frazier on the eligibility roster.  The suit claimed the city of Gadsden unlawfully discriminated against Frazier and other white applicants based on race, and engaged in hiring practices with malice and/or reckless indifference to Frazier’s federally protected rights.