The Associated Press
EAST ST. LOUIS, Illinois- A white former police officer has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, alleging racial bias in his thwarted efforts to get his job back after military duty in Iraq.
Eric Brocaille, 29, claims the city of East St. Louis violated a federal law meant to protect employees who leave their jobs temporarily to serve in military units, saying three black officers were allowed to return to the force in this 31,000-resident city after their time in Iraq.
City Manager Robert Betts on Thursday called Brocaille’s claims bogus, saying Brocaille was a probationary officer when he quit his job and has snubbed the city’s request that he get a mental fitness test for the job in this city where crime often dominates headlines.
“We just wanted to make sure he’s safe, physically fit and mentally able to return to work,” Betts said. “Certainly there’s a lot of post-traumatic stress with Iraq duty. East St. Louis is a very high-crime city, and you would think you’re in Iraq when you’re in East St. Louis sometimes.”
Betts says the black officers mentioned, unlike Brocaille, were reservists called to duty, making their cases “totally different” from Brocaille’s. Betts said Brocaille never submitted any written notice of resignation, papers requesting leave or any indication he was joining the military, leaving the city to believe he simply walked off the job.