The police force, like many other places of employment, has fitness standards that can impact a person’s ability to stay employed or perform certain duties. One Colorado police department is facing allegations of employment discrimination related to how the department handles fitness tests. The suit filed against the police department contends women should be held to different physical fitness standards compared to men.
The suit has been filed by a group of female police officers who didn’t pass the required fitness test. The women who failed were subsequently put on light duty. The women involved called the light duty assignment humiliating and believe standards should be revised based on sex.
The suit states that physiological differences between the sexes means these differences should be factored into the test and how it is scored. They also contend the test is designed in a manner that ensures nearly all male officers can pass the test. The test is made up of four parts, including sit ups, push-ups, an agility run and a beep test.
The women who filed the employment discrimination suit are seeking monetary damages and an injunction halting the protocols for the physical fitness testing. Whenever an employment discrimination suit is filed in Colorado, the parties filing the suit may benefit from bringing forth any shared experiences, similar evaluations or any other evidence that may point to a pattern of discrimination of a protected class. A successful suit can yield monetary damages, a reinstatement of a job or position, or possibly changes to existing policies or practices for the betterment of current and future employees.
Source: krdo.com, “Female officers allege age and sexual discrimination in lawsuit against CSPD”, Chris Loveless, April 30, 2015