Thirteen white San Francisco police officers filed suit against the city and county of San Francisco, the San Francisco Police Department, and several other local agencies and individuals Tuesday. In their complaint, the plaintiffs detail an alleged history of discrimination based on an unfair system. They cite several instances of women and minority candidates receiving promotions even when they scored lower on qualifying exams. Of the 13 officers named on the complaint, 12 are male.

The complaint says, in part, "SFPD has a pattern of promoting lower-scoring candidates over higher-scoring candidates when promoting candidates to Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain. A disturbing pattern emerges from SFPD’s promotional scheme because it shows that lower-scoring African-American and female candidates are the primary beneficiaries of SFPD’s illegal promotion process."

The process of promotion under challenge is referred to as "banding," a system under which test scores that fall into a particular range are considered equal and are then judged based on other merits. Banding was introduced in the SFPD in 1979 as part of a decree that settled a suit followed by Officers for Justice, an association of black officers.

The complaint details an instance in 2016, when three black officers were given promotions, even though 11 white officers with higher scores were not. It gives another example of several women officers being promoted over their higher-scoring male counterparts.

The court document also notes, "All outreaches by plaintiffs and others on their behalf have been rebuffed or ignored and morale is suffering. It is in this pernicious atmosphere of confusion, obfuscation and blatant discrimination that compelled plaintiffs to file this lawsuit."

A spokesman for the San Francisco city attorney stated that the SFPD "uses lawful, merit-based civil service examinations in making promotions." He claimed that the current system of banding is "designed to provide qualified individuals with the chance for advancement while ensuring fair treatment without regard to race, gender, religion, age or other status."