Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — A man has sued the City of Evanston, claiming he was fired as a police cadet because of his “very raspy” voice.
Reginald Johnson of Dolton was hired as a cadet on Sept. 6, 2008, and fired less than two weeks later, according to his recent federal lawsuit, which alleges a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Johnson was hired at a salary of $55,800 and passed his physical, according to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint attached to the suit.
But when Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington signed Johnson’s paperwork to go to the police academy, he questioned Johnson about his raspy voice, the complaint said.
As part of the training program, Johnson was told to stand in front of a building and shout commands to a trainer as the trainer walked down the street, the suit said.
The purpose of the test was to see how far Johnson’s voice would carry, the suit said.
Johnson was then fired. Eddington told him it was because his voice does not project far enough, Johnson claims. None of the other four cadets in the program was made to undergo a similar test -- including a female recruit with a “low voice,” Johnson said.
“They just had him shout down a street,” Johnson’s attorney, Matthew Litvak, said Friday. “It’s a subjective evaluation. There’s no guideline for it.”
The suit alleges that there was no “reasonable or rational” basis for Johnson’s firing.
Johnson said he can communicate “fine” with others, but cannot shout as loudly as some people can, according to the EEOC complaint. His voice has been raspy all his life.
“All the recruits should be tested equally,” Johnson said in his complaint. “If they made me go outside and holler, they should have made all the recruits go outside and holler.”
Johnson wants his job back, plus backpay, damages and court costs. Evanston Police Cmdr. Tom Guenther said the department could not comment on ongoing litigation.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times