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Ex-cop testifies in retrial of discrimination suit

Posted January 03, 2008 10:00 pm

Chris Dettro

Retired Springfield police lieutenant Lea Joy testified for three hours Thursday as the retrial of a racial discrimination suit against the city of Springfield got under way in federal court.

Joy, the first black woman hired as a police officer in Springfield, testified about what she felt were racially based rumors that followed her for her entire 21-year career. She also discussed her transfer from the internal affairs department to field support in November 2001, after she expressed support for another black woman officer, Renatta Frazier.

Frazier quit the force in September 2002 after neither the city nor police corrected information in a news story reporting that she might have prevented the rape of a fellow officer's daughter on Oct. 31, 2001. Frazier was a plaintiff in the discrimination suit, but settled out of court.

Joy and retired lieutenant Rickey Davis, who also is black, say they were treated differently than white officers regarding transfers and promotions and were retaliated against because they spoke out about the department's racial problems and supported Frazier. Joy has an additional claim that she faced a hostile work environment throughout her career.

The suit, filed in 2003, originally went to trial a year ago, but U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott declared a mistrial before it ever got to the jury.

A panel of five women, one of whom is black, and four men is hearing the case this time.

Davis and Joy, the only plaintiffs remaining out of nine black officers who originally filed suit, are represented in the retrial by attorneys Shari Rhode of Carbondale and Zoe Newton of Springfield. City attorneys Frank Martinez and James Lang represent the city and former police chief John Harris, who is a defendant in Davis' portion of the suit.

Joy, under questioning by Newton, said she felt she was treated differently than other officers during her training, but initially attributed the difference to her being a woman.

"I didn't think the problems I was having were related to my race," she said. A conversation with other woman officers changed that perception, she said.

Joy also said she had endured at least one racist comment and a derogatory nickname.

She said "there was resistance" in 1994 to promoting 20 officers to the civil service rank of sergeant because four of the 20 were black. Joy ultimately was promoted.

She was again promoted, this time to lieutenant, in 1999, but "only after I hired a lawyer."

Joy said she had never received ratings of "unacceptable" or "needs improvement" in any of her performance evaluations.

Newton asked Joy if she loved her job as a police officer.

"Oh, yes," she replied. "I'd love to go back. And I'd still try to change things."

Joy cried when asked why she felt rumors of incompetence dogged her during her career.

"I always worked hard. I always did my best," she said. "The only difference I had with the majority is that I was black."

Newton, in her opening statement, said the city of Springfield "clings to outdated, even immoral concepts" of race relations.

"When it comes to matters of race, we have come a long way," she said. "Unfortunately, the city of Springfield is a pocket of resistance."

She said Joy and Davis "had no choice but to file this suit."

Martinez, in his opening, said the case is about "two former Springfield police officers who had very successful careers."

Both Davis and Joy achieved the highest civil service rank attainable, he said, and both were promoted to that status - lieutenant - under Harris.

The complaints the jury will hear "are quite limited," he said, and evidence will show that white officers were routinely transferred and given new assignments under Harris.

Cross-examination of Joy will begin this morning. Scott has allowed two weeks for testimony in the case.

Chris Dettro can be reached at (217) 788-1510 or chris.dettro@sj-r.com.

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