A longtime officer with the Metro Transit Police Department has filed a lawsuit claiming she was passed over for a higher position and discriminated against because she is a Black woman.
“I definitely feel I was treated differently because I was female and because I was a Black female," Metro Transit Police Cpt. Rebecca Britt said in an interview with News4.
Britt, the only Black female captain for Metro Transit Police, has been on the force for more than 20 years.
Britt said that over the years she noticed a pattern from a higher-ranking white officer that didn’t seem right, such as being asked to discipline lower ranking black officers for incidents she didn’t feel were warranted.
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"And I made a comment and said, 'However, when the other lieutenants … who are white males do that, you don’t say anything about it.' And then when I told him I wasn’t going to be a pawn, he yelled at me and then hung the phone up," she said.
"He asked her, he demanded that she discipline African American officers under her supervision for things that were not transgressions," Britt's lawyer Pam Keith said. "It was a personal, targeted attack on African American officers, and she refused to do it.”
Metro conducted it’s own internal investigation over Britt's claims and it found that there was some just cause.
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“The allegations of discrimination were supported by the evidence gathered and reviewed,” Metro's Office of Fair Practices said in a letter obtained by News4.
The letter also states that recommendations have been made for appropriate corrective action against the officer in question. But according to Britt, there’s no evidence that action ever happened.
Britt said she was later passed over for a deputy chief position with the force. She believes she didn't get the job because she’s a Black woman and because she spoke up about certain issues.
"They already knew who they were going to select as assistant chief. They had us do an impromptu interview – and they already had it in their minds. And so, I knew, yeah, I wasn’t going to get it," Britt said.
"At base, when you get an investigation telling you that you have a senior leader that expresses racist opinions, and has targeted African Americans in your organization for harsh and unfair discipline – you should care about that. It should matter to you, and you should take action," Keith said.
Metro said it can not comment on pending litigation.
Right now, the transit agency is reviewing the lawsuit and it’s response is not yet due.
News4 reached out to the lawyer representing Metro, but has not yet heard back.
