PITTSBURGH (AP) — A black man contends he was fired at the end of his 18-month probationary period as a state trooper for false claims that he didn’t properly write reports, and sometimes used Ebonics in doing so, according to a federal lawsuit.
The federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of William Peake, 29, of Sewickley, who graduated from the police academy in May 2009 and soon after was stationed at the Uniontown barracks, which his attorney contends employs nearly all white troopers.
Peake was required to sign a termination letter contending he was let go for a “lack of solid job knowledge and basic police skills” and other “officer/public safety concerns” not spelled out in that letter in November 2010.
