news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Thirty-nine Greensboro police officers filed a federal lawsuit this week, alleging that the city of Greensboro discriminated against them on the basis of race.

The lawsuit comes more than three years after the officers, who are black, filed U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity complaints alleging they were unfairly investigated by the police department or otherwise treated differently from their white colleagues.

The officers seeks in excess of $10,000 for compensatory and punitive damages.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice determined that its attorneys would not pursue the charges of racial discrimination on behalf of the police officers.

But the officers were given right-to-sue letters, allowing them to bring the issue to court on their own behalf, according to their attorney.

That is what the officers did Monday, according to U.S. District Court documents.

The officers already have another lawsuit against the city, former police officials and one City Council member making the same allegations.