A Detroit Police lieutenant sued the department today in federal court, alleging a physical test to qualify for an elite — and controversial — unit discriminates against women.
The lawsuit filed by Lt. Sherell Stanley chronicles the woman's bid to become the first woman assigned to the department's Special Response Team.
The unit requires applicants to take a physical agility test. Stanley hired a personal trainer and asked to take the test in July 2008. She immediately met resistance, according to the lawsuit. A former lieutenant told her no female had ever passed the test but she was welcome to try. A second man, a sergeant assigned to the unit, was more blunt. "Your best won't be good enough," he told Stanley, according to the lawsuit.
