Tulsa, OK: (Jul-09-07) A class action lawsuit was brought against the Tulsa Police Department, alleging that it discriminated against blacks in its ranks. The racial discrimination case was filed in January 1994 by then-officer Roy Johnson. The suit was made a class action in 1998, opening it up to all of Tulsa's black current and former police officers if they did not choose to opt out.
The parties reached a settlement without the court finding any evidence of ongoing racial discrimination. The class action suit ended after thirteen years of legal wrangling, having cost the department $10 million in legal fees and other costs. Officials have previously said implementing the measures required in the consent decree is costing the city $6 million. Additionally, attorneys have said that more than $2 million has been paid to the plaintiffs' lawyers and that the city spent more than $2 million representing itself in the lawsuit. [CUSHING DAILY CITIZEN: POLICE DISCRIMINATION]
