Secret Service sued for alleged racial discrimination

Agency says 7 of 11 largest offices headed by minorities

May 3, 2000
Web posted at: 11:08 a.m. EDT (1508 GMT)

In this story: Complaint filed against Treasury Diversity training required RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ten current and former black Secret Service agents filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the agency in federal court Wednesday, and asked the court to expand the suit to include virtually every African American who has ever served in the department.

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The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, seeks up to $300,000 in back pay and other compensation for each agent, and a court order directing the Secret Service to end unfair practices, the plaintiffs' attorneys said.

In a draft copy of the suit obtained by CNN, the agents said from at least 1974 to the present, the Secret Service maintained a "racially hostile work environment" and discriminated against its African American agents in hiring, promotions and assignments.

Black agents are given less prestigious assignments, transferred to less desirable locations and face retaliation when they complain about racial slurs uttered by white agents, the suit alleges.

Complaint filed against Treasury

The lawsuit mirrors a complaint that black agents filed in February with the Treasury Department -- the Secret Service's parent department. That complaint has not yet been resolved.

A Secret Service spokesman said Tuesday evening he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on it. But he defended the Secret Service's record.

"We're proud of our record on diversity issues and we want our employees to have a sense of fair play when it comes to both hiring and the promotional process," said Assistant Special Agent In Charge James E. Mackin.

Diversity training required

Of the approximately 2,500 special agents, 700 are minorities, including 230 African Americans. Two of the agency's seven assistant directors are African American. And, Mackin said, of the 11 largest field offices in the country, seven are headed by minorities, including four African Americans.

All Secret Service employees are required to attend a three-day diversity program, he said.

Black agents say their complaints of mistreatment date back to at least early 1974, when 35 African American agents sent a letter to the director of the Secret Service saying they were "not included in the mainstream of the entire operations (sic) of the Service." At that time, only 36 of the 1,209 special agents were black.

The agents again complained about discriminatory treatment in 1977, 1987 and 1993, the lawsuit says.

Agents say they previously refrained from filing suit because administrators continually offered assurances that their grievances would be addressed.

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United States Secret Service
U.S. Treasury Department
EEOC: Facts About Employment Discrimination

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