Settlement reached in Tulsa Police black officers' lawsuit

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ The city and a group of black police officers reached a settlement Tuesday in the officers' 8-year-old lawsuit alleging racial discrimination at the Tulsa Police Department.

Tuesday, December 3rd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ The city and a group of black police officers reached a settlement Tuesday in the officers' 8-year-old lawsuit alleging racial discrimination at the Tulsa Police Department.

The agreement is nearly identical to a proposal Mayor Bill LaFortune offered in October and similar to an agreement he rejected in August.

The deal still must be approved by a federal judge.

``The settlement reached today is the best, the most fair and the most cost-effective solution possible,'' LaFortune said.

Under the agreement, in which the city admits no wrongdoing, all recruiting, promotions and specialty assignments will be given on merit. The agreement also contains an explicit prohibition of racial bias.

It calls for an independent auditor to monitor compliance and gives dispute resolution to a committee with members from all parties in the lawsuit.

Also, the city will collect data about officers' race, level of training and their policing activities. But LaFortune won a provision limiting the use of this data by the auditor or the resolution committee to information available under the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

The police department must within 120 days apply for accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a status LaFortune says should address all the complaints of the plaintiffs.

The settlement came after LaFortune offered another proposal October 31st in hopes of restarting negotiations that ended bitterly after he rejected an earlier agreement entered by his predecessor.

The Black Officers Coalition sued the city in 1994, alleging blacks face a segregated work environment, are discriminated against in hiring and promotions, get no help when calling for backup and face retaliation if they complain of discrimination.

A settlement avoids a costly trial that U.S. District Judge Erik Sven Holmes scheduled a day after LaFortune withdrew his support for the agreement former Mayor Susan Savage had reached.