Tulsa, black police officers settle 8-year-old lawsuit

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ The city and black police officers settled a 1994 discrimination lawsuit Friday by agreeing on a series of policy changes at the police department. <br><br>The Black Officers Coalition

Saturday, April 6th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ The city and black police officers settled a 1994 discrimination lawsuit Friday by agreeing on a series of policy changes at the police department.

The Black Officers Coalition and former Mayor Susan Savage reached the agreement Monday before she left office, but it didn't become official until Friday, the deadline for new Mayor Bill LaFortune to void it.

City attorney Martha Rupp Carter did not return calls seeking comment, but the settlement said the city does not acknowledge that its policies were discriminatory or unlawful.

``What we were seeking with the lawsuit were changes that would provide a basis for an end to racial division in the department and would bring the department in harmony with the minority community in Tulsa,'' said Louis Bullock, attorney for the black officers. ``We achieved that.''

The coalition sued the city in 1994, claiming black officers face a segregated work environment and get no help when calling other officers for backup. The federal lawsuit also alleged blacks are discriminated against in promotions and hiring and face retaliation after claiming discrimination.

Among other things, the settlement requires the department to make all hirings, assignments and promotions on merit and ban any retaliation against citizens or officers who file complaints against the department. It also calls for assurances that officers provide backup to colleagues in the field who ask for it and a ban on racial profiling.