Challenging Boston’s Discriminatory Police Promotion Tests

Levy Ratner’s Rebekah Cook-Mack are proud to represent the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers in an Amicus Brief with the 1^st Circuit Court of Appeals in Smith v. City of Boston, which challenges Boston’s use of a discriminatory promotional test to select Police Lieutenants. Levy Ratner stands with the Black and Latino police officers who are seeking fair and equitable promotional opportunities in Boston.  Discrimination in officer promotion harms not only the minority officers whose careers are stalled, but all community members. Academic research has shown that diversity among police officers improves outcomes for residents, police departments, and officers themselves. Rather than defend a testing process that excludes qualified applicants of color, Boston should adopt a less discriminatory process that promotes those most likely to succeed as supervisors irrespective of race. The United States Department of Justice also filed an Amicus Brief in support of the plaintiffs.