A former Black Indiana police chief claims he was denied a school security job multiple times because he’s Black in a newly filed federal lawsuit.
Garry Hamilton claims he was passed over by lesser-qualified white candidates.
Hamilton was the former police chief in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the first African-American to hold the position. He worked at the police department for 25 years, beginning in 1994, before retiring in June 2019. The former cop believed with his background, he was ripe for a position with the Fort Wayne Community Schools as its security supervisor.
According to Hamilton’s lawsuit, he applied for the position with the school district in 2019 but did not get the job. He claims “he was passed over without ‘reason, cause, or explanation,’” WPTA reported.
He goes on to claim the school district filled the position with “caucasian individuals who were less qualified,” and one of the white men hired “was not as educated,” the report continued.
Court documents revealed Hamilton knew of the white candidate and claimed he “never received a department promotion or held a supervisor’s position,” the Journal Gazette reported.
Hamilton said, “when the second of those men ultimately did not work out before even starting the job, the school district chose to begin the hiring process over instead of offering Hamilton a chance at the position,” WANE reported.
Hamilton went on to say the second white candidate “didn’t meet the minimum requirements.”
Hamilton applied for the position a third time in August 2021, when the position became vacant.
