Boston, Mass. — A federal jury has ordered the Massachusetts State Police to pay $6.8 million to five current and former troopers who alleged the agency engaged in systemic discrimination against women and minority officers in promotions and specialty assignments.
The verdict was returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston following a lawsuit originally filed in 2016. The plaintiffs—female, Black, and Hispanic troopers—claimed that department leaders routinely pre-selected white male candidates for coveted positions before jobs were officially posted, effectively blocking qualified women and minorities from advancement.
Court filings highlighted instances in which white male troopers with disciplinary records were chosen over higher-performing minority and female candidates. At the time the lawsuit cited internal data from 2018, women made up roughly 5% of the force and minorities less than 10%…