Top leaders at the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol have retaliated against black troopers who filed a federal complaint, the head of a civil rights group said today.
NAACP state President Derrick Johnson said, based on his conversations with black troopers, the Department of Public Safety fired some, transferred others arbitrarily and handed out harsher discipline after the group filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January.
Johnson announced at a news conference today that charges of retaliation have been filed with the commission. Earlier this year, the EEOC said it found validity in the group’s complaint about DPS hiring and promotion practices.
That complaint has been forwarded to the U.S. Justice Department for review.
DPS Commissioner Steve Simpson has said he has no evidence of discrimination, and has repeatedly asked troopers to come forward with their allegations. DPS officials had no immediate comment on the retaliation charges.
To comment on this story, call Natalie Chandler at (601) 961-7075.
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