Officials in Bridgeport, Connecticut, will launch an independent investigation into claims that the city’s police department engaged in racial discrimination, the CT Post reported.   

The NAACP and the department’s minority officer organization, the Bridgeport Guardians, alleges that Black police officers faced a hostile work environment and unfair discipline by acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia.   

“A federal investigation is the only way to get an impartial, fair investigation,” said Davon Polite, president of the Guardians.   

“The Bridgeport Police Department’s pattern and practice of discriminatory behavior has had an adverse impact on officers’ morale, mental health, well-being, career development, and reputation,” the Guardians wrote in a letter to City Council President Aidee Nieves.   

Nieves said that she and other council members would take “appropriate steps” to make sure that the Guardians’ concerns were addressed. 

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