Race Harassment: LAPD Bomb Squad To Pay Over $5 Million To Black Officer

A jury has awarded $5.3 million to the first African-American member of the elite Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad. John Francois claimed he suffered repeated harassment and discrimination during his 13 months on the job. Healleged that he was called “boy,” was not allowed to attend conferences, and did not receive the same pay differential as other bomb squad members. And Francois said that while he was at the bomb range, explosives were detonated when he was the only one not yet in the safety bunker. Francois also charged that the police department wouldn’t let him return to work after he underwent surgery for a brain tumor.