Joe Malinconico

Paterson Press

PATERSON — Three African-American sergeants in the Paterson Police Department have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that “a history of racism” delayed the promotions of minority officers.

Two of the officers — Karen Rayfield and Tamiko Griffin — allege in the lawsuit that the city dragged its feet complying with a federal decree regarding their promotions to sergeant, which the officers assert prevented them from being eligible to make lieutenant last year.

The third officer, Kelly Cary Pacelli, claims she was denied transfers to favorable assignments. The lawsuit claims that Pacelli had been seeking a transfer to a day shift when a white officer, who heard she might become his supervisor in the cellblock, allegedly used a racial epithet, saying he would not take orders from an African-American.

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The lawsuit claims that the day job in the cellblock eventually was given to a white sergeant and that the officer who made the racial comment was not properly investigated.

The federal lawsuit, filed in mid-July, repeats some of the assertions made in a separate lawsuit filed in 2015 by Griffin’s husband, Lt. Washington Griffin — a case that is still pending. The same Philadelphia lawyer, Mark Frost, filed both lawsuits.

“There exist several incidents which create a pattern and practice in the Paterson Police Department (PPD), whereby racist comments are made and no legitimate and/or adequate efforts are made by the department to remedy this conduct, halt this conduct, or discipline the individuals involved,” reads the lawsuit.

Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said Monday that the department does not tolerate any racism by its members.

Local officials last year promoted 28 police officers of various racial backgrounds to sergeant, lieutenant and captain as part of the city’s efforts to comply with a 2011 consent decree between the federal government and state Civil Service Commission mandating promotions of minority law enforcement officers in Paterson and other New Jersey cities. That decree created lists of minority officers in cities around the state who had to be promoted under the terms of the agreement.

“We were the first city in the state to act on that list and to exhaust the list,” Speziale said, responding to the allegations in the recent lawsuit.

Councilman Michael Jackson, who has been chairman of the public safety committee, said there’s an “obvious disparity” in the Police Department’s promotional system. Jackson said he blamed the mayor’s office for the problem.

“I had to fight extra hard to make sure those promotions went through” last year, said Jackson, who is considering running for mayor in 2018.

Rayfield became a Paterson police officer in 1996, Pacelli in 2001 and Tamiko Griffin in 2002, according to the lawsuit. Rayfield and Griffin live in Paterson, and Pacelli is a resident of Wayne, the suit says.