Police Officer Sues Department For Anti-Military Discrimination

DEERFIELD, IL - A Deerfield police officer says he has been passed over for promotions because he is also a member of the United States military.

Todd Smith has filed a lawsuit against the Deerfield Police Department claiming discrimination in connection to him being a reservist with the United States Coast Guard, according to an ABC-7-Chicago report.

Smith, 45 says that not only has he been passed over several times for the rank of sergeant, but he is retaliated against for complaining about it.

The lawsuit filed in a federal court recently says the department’s actions violate an act that prohibits discrimination against men and women when they are called to voluntary or involuntary service.

Smith has been with the department since 1997 and says his problems began eight years later when he first requested military leave as a member of the Coast Guard. Since then, he’s been called for active duty several times, including a continuous stint of nearly four years from 2011-2015.

More via ABC-7-Chicago

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