Hempstead Police Detective Sues Alleging Racial Discrimination In Promotions

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Hempstead village police detective said he has been passed over for promotions and has filed a discrimination complaint.

As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported Tuesday, Steven Wilson is a Hempstead village police detective and has been with the department since 1997.

Wilson, who is African-American, wants to be a sergeant. He said he took the civil service test in 2013. But a new test was then issued, and as a result, his attorney said only white detectives were promoted to sergeant while he waits.

Wilson's attorney, Eric Sanders, filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the state's Division of Human Rights.

"I deal with police agencies all over the place – I mean, throughout the world, really. To keep coming back to Hempstead because they have this problem – that's a small police agency, and they have all these problems," Sanders said.

In the past, two racial discrimination lawsuits were filed against the village and the police department.

The village said in a statement that it has not received any information regarding the alleged complaints, and, "As standard policy, we do not comment on pending litigation or personnel matters involving village employees."