on September 25, 2012 at 6:05 AM, updated NJ Transit has agreed to pay 10 of its minority police officers $5.8 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit against the agency alleging they endured racial insults and slurs from their chief dating back 10 years. The transit police officers complained their former chief referred to African-Americans as "Stepin Fetchit" or "Knuckles," because gorillas drag their knuckles on the ground. And he often used the "N" word and other demeaning terms. One black officer said the ex-chief refused to shake his hand during a promotion ceremony. Another said that instead of getting an award for stopping a carjacking during a blizzard, he got written up because he had a fender bender during the arrest. The lawyer for the officers said the settlement could be a record for a discrimination case against a New Jersey public agency. Details of the settlement were announced Monday by the lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith of Montclair, and confirmed by NJ Transit.

The suit was brought by nine African-American officers and one Latino officer. "The behavior is so egregious, so pervasive and so well-documented, and the cancer in this organization was so obvious, that to try to the case in front of the jury would have been devastating to the state," said Smith, attorney for the plaintiffs along with her co-counsel, Kevin Barber of Morristown.bajaj motorcycle price list 2011 Smith said that when she read the complaints, "I felt like I was going down to Georgia in 1960."best 150cc bike for daily use At the center of the case was former NJ Transit Police Chief Joseph Bober, who was ousted in 2009 after a jury found he retaliated against a female lieutenant who complained of sexual discrimination. motorcycle repair stanton ca

The jury awarded $1.5 million to the lieutenant. Bober had been at the agency for 35 years and ran the police department since 2002. He was making $159,000 a year at the time of his departure. "Bober and his cohorts pretty much established the Ku Klux Klan in the NJ Transit Police Department," Smith said.motorbike shop in epping Attempts to reach Bober were not successful. motorcycles for sale on craigslist in riHis previous phone number was no longer in service.motorcycle repair avondale As part of the settlement, NJ Transit agreed to have an ombudsman, Smith said.honda motorcycle dealer jackson tn

The agency released this statement last night: "NJ Transit has conducted a comprehensive cultural assessment of the (police department) that examined policies, operating procedures, workplace, job conditions, and inclusion. As part of that assessment, The International Association of Chiefs of Police was retained to conduct a nationwide search for NJ Transit’s new chief of police, which culminated in the hiring of ... Chief Christopher Trucillo in July 2010. NJ Transit’s leadership affirms the agency’s commitment to promoting a fair and respectful workforce. Today, NJ Transit ensures that complaints of discrimination, retaliation and other alleged illegal treatment throughout the Police Department and the entire agency are treated impartially and fairly." The officers who won the settlement are Laura Hester, Safiya H. Daniels, James Garrison III, Jonathan A. Giles II, Zena Gurley, Laquan L. Hudson, Brian M. Shirden, Thomas Springs, Melvin L. Webb and Jose Martinez. All are veterans still at the agency.

The officers painted a picture of Bober as an Archie Bunker with a gun and badge . A surprised Webb said that when he asked Bober why he was working on Memorial Day and not barbecuing, the chief replied, "I’m white." His terms for African-Americans ranged from the N word to "porch monkeys," officers testified. In addition to the degrading words, Smith said, officers were given unfair job assignments, criticism and discipline. "My clients suffered," she said. "They are tough — they are retired military, they are cops. But this is unbelievable, to go to work and be referred to as the N word when you put your life on the line and go to work for citizens everyday." Smith said the climate has improved since the well-regarded Trucillo has taken over as chief. She said Hester, an inspector, "has a lot of positive things to say about the new chief, and hopes that things are changing for the better." • N.J. police officer fired for racial comments posted on Twitter, officials say

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