The Justice Department announced an investigation into the hiring practices of the Maryland State Police on Friday that will assess whether the MSP participated in any racially discriminatory hiring practices.
No specific incident was listed as the cause of the investigation, though U.S. Attorney for Maryland Erek Barron said racial accusations have been going on for years, according to the Washington Post.
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The investigation is a joint effort between the Justice Department and the Maryland U.S. attorney’s office. The investigation will be conducted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, the department said in a news release.
“Discrimination has no place in any workplace and especially in law enforcement agencies,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the release. “All communities deserve law enforcement agencies that are built upon principles of fairness and equity.”
One Maryland state police veteran said he has been calling for reform and investigations into alleged racist misconduct and mistreatment of black officers for two years. Byron Tribue, the police veteran, said he has met with civil rights leaders and black state lawmakers and has complained of racial discrimination and mistreatment to Maryland’s NAACP and the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, the outlet reported.
“It’s been hell because you know there is injustice going on,” Tribue told the outlet. “But the more you speak up, the more of a target you become.”
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Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Secretary of State Police Col. Woodrow “Jerry” Jones III have been notified of the investigation and will cooperate, the release said. Jones said his team had already begun making adjustments to address the concerns prior to the investigation, including working with the Coalition of Black Maryland State Troopers and the Legislative Black Caucus.
Friday’s announcement marks the seventh Justice Department investigation into police agencies since Attorney General Merrick Garland took office last year. It is unclear how long the investigation will take, though similar investigations often take over a year to complete.
