The U.S. Justice Department is “carefully reviewing” allegations by organizations of Black and Latino members of the Los Angeles Fire Department that the agency has engaged in civil rights violations and other wrongdoing in its treatment of employees.
Notice that the civil rights section of the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles is examining the allegations came as a group representing female firefighters joined the calls by the Black and Latino organizations for a federal investigation.
The demand for an inquiry followed a Times report last week on accusations that a high-ranking white official in the LAFD received preferential treatment after he was reported to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on duty at the department’s headquarters.
In a letter to Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Fire Commission, Battalion Chief Kristine Larson, president of Los Angeles Women in the Fire Service, demanded accountability.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.