The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a “pattern or practice” investigation into the Maryland Department of State Police to examine if the agency had racially discriminatory hiring and promotion practices, officials announced Friday.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said in an interview that the probe, staffed by local attorneys in his office and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, will look into how the statewide law enforcement agency hires, promotes, trains, disciplines and makes special opportunities available to its employees.
Noting the probe comes after years of complaints of racial discrimination from Black troopers, Barron said the allegations would be concerning in any employment context, but are particularly concerning with law enforcement officers “who we’re trusting to make a lot of important decisions.”
