A Chicago police officer is suing the city to change his race on his official records. His actions come after the department said it would allow officers to change their gender to match their identity freely.
Mohammad Yusuf, 43, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last week. In it, he says he is looking to change from “Caucasian” as he currently identifies as “Egyptian and African American.” But therein lies the problem: the Chicago Police Department is not allowing him to change his race.
The lawsuit follows the department’s announcement that it would allow an officer’s “gender identity [to be] corrected to match their lived experience.” In his lawsuit, Yusuf alleges that the decision is impacting his professional advancement.
When Fox News Digital reached out to the Chicago Police Department for a statement, it said: “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
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According to the lawsuit, Yusuf alleges that he has consistently missed promotions due to his “Caucasian” race. He claims these promotions have gone to other minority applicants, with only very few going to Caucasian applicants.
What the 20-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department is pointing to in his lawsuit is CPD’s promotion system. It primarily benefits “minority candidates,” regardless of how well they score on promotional exams.
Yusuf specifically claims he “scored in the first promotional tier” on the sergeant’s exam in 2019. However, he did not receive a promotion then, which has still not changed. Since then, he alleges in the lawsuit to have seen “over 75 Merit Promotions to sergeant.” All with “less than five” going to candidates who identify as Caucasian.
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“Despite Yusuf’s’ exemplary qualifications and the purported race-neutral policy of the Merit System, Yusuf has been repeatedly bypassed for promotion in favor of less qualified candidates, based on their race, specifically African American officers, some of whom had disciplinary issues and were not suitable for the responsibilities of a sergeant,” his complaint reads.
According to Yusuf, he first joined the force in 2004. At the time, the department only offered three race selections: Caucasian, Black, and Hispanic. He picked “Caucasian,” and they put it on his official record.
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The department’s racial designations have grown to nine for incoming officers. However, it won’t let him change his race to more accurately reflect his identity. There is a “blanket prohibition” against changing an officer’s race.
After repeated rejections, Yusuf learned he would have to produce a DNA test before his race could be changed on his record. He provided the results of a “23 and Me” genetic test, which showed his heritage and race, but even that was not enough.
The department said it was “not possible” to change his official record. “The Racial Identity Policy Ban facially and intentionally discriminates against certain individuals based on personally identifiable characteristics like race,” the officer alleges.
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