Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is named in a federal lawsuit from 11 of the city’s police officers, alleging that the mayor unlawfully removed them from his security detail when he took office in 2011.
The officers, all of white or Hispanic descent, claim Emanuel, who was elected mayor in 2011, replaced senior members of his security detail with volunteers who contributed to the mayor’s campaign. They also allege that African American officers with less seniority were given preferential treatment by being kept on Emanuel’s team.
Comments regarding the lawsuit were not granted to ABC News from either the city of Chicago or the mayoral office of Rahm Emanuel.
Jonathan R. Ksiazek and Edward M. Fox, the attorneys representing the 11 officers suing the city told ABC News that the demotion was all political. Though they could not confirm, the attorneys insist that “Several of the officers who replaced our clients had connections with Emanuel or volunteered on his campaign.”
The lawsuit contends that security detail transfers violated Chicago’s Shakman decree that prohibits firings, demotions, transfers, or other punishment of government employees stemming from political motivation.