3 Troopers Sue MD State Police Alleging Racial Discrimination

PIKESVILLE, MD — Three current and former Maryland state troopers have filed a lawsuit against the law enforcement agency, claiming it racially discriminates against officers of color, according to court documents.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, accused the Maryland State Police of maintaining a hostile work environment, in addition to a history of imposing overly severe punishments on officers of color and denying officers of color promotions.

Matin Dunlap, Byron Tribue and Analisse Diaz are listed as the plaintiffs in the case, according to court documents shared by NPR.

Tribue and Dunlap, who are Black, currently work for the agency, while Diaz, who is Black and Puerto Rican, was fired in 2019.

The three plaintiffs, who claim the agency repeatedly violated their civil rights, are seeking financial compensation for emotional distress and loss of income, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit describes several instances of racial discrimination experienced and witnessed by the plaintiffs. According to court documents, Tribue was suspended for more than 300 days for a reported one-hour error on his time card.

The lawsuit also claims a white officer placed a banana on Dunlap's patrol car as a racist insult. Another incident involved a paper training dummy used at an agency shooting range which, according to court documents, was painted in blackface and had an "Afro wig."

In a statement to NPR, state police officials said the agency "remains committed to providing the highest quality of law enforcement services to the people of Maryland."

"Significant actions have been taken and are continuing to address even the perception of racism or unfair treatment of any kind," the statement said.

The statement did not elaborate on what actions were taken.

The lawsuit follows an investigation into the agency launched by the Department of Justice in July. The purpose of the investigation, according to a DOJ news release, is to "assess whether MDSP has engaged in racially discriminatory hiring and promotion practices."