MD State Police To Pay $2.75M To Settle Discrimination Claims

BALTIMORE, MD — The Maryland Department of State Police has agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle federal claims that the agency discriminated against Black and female applicants in its hiring process for troopers.

The settlement resolves an investigation opened by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland on July 15, 2022, prosecutors announced Wednesday. It will also include changes to the way trooper applicants are tested.

“Over the past 19 months, we have worked in complete partnership with the Department of Justice to bring this matter to a close and also to establish a plan forward that will ensure that this will not happen again,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The claims against state police began when federal prosecutors reviewed the agency's hiring practices and found the written test for troopers discriminated against Black applicants and a physical fitness test discriminated against female candidates.

As a result, the tests disqualified Black and female applicants at "significantly disproportionate rates" and violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, prosecutors said.

“The underrepresentation of Blacks and women in law enforcement undermines public safety and runs contrary to the principle of equal opportunity which is central in our job market," Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement. "This agreement requires the Maryland Department of State Police to institute meaningful reforms, remove unlawful barriers in its hiring process, and provide restitution and relief to those already harmed, ensuring that all qualified applicants have a fair chance to serve."

The settlement will require the Maryland Department of State Police to pay $2.75 million in back pay to applicants who were disqualified by the challenged tests.

The agency also agreed to reform its hiring process by doing the following:

• Adopt written and physical fitness tests that do not discriminate and violate Title VII.
• Provide data to the United States on the administration of the new tests to ensure compliance.
• Hire up to 25 applicants who were unfairly disqualified by those tests and who successfully complete MDSP’s new trooper screening and selection process.

The settlement follows similar allegations made against Maryland state police in recent years. Officers previously sued the Maryland State Police alleging widespread discrimination over promotions and disciplinary actions, according to an AP report.