On April 10, 1973, female police officers filed a complaint under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, against their superior officers and the Detroit Police Department in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiffs contended that their separate divisions and unequal pay were illegal under Title VII.

Before they brought the suit, female police officers were restricted to working only in the "Women's Division," which was its own separate unit of the Police Department. They were able to do investigative work, which was similar to work being done by male detectives, but the women were not given detective rank and were paid less that their male counterparts. Women were also unable to take the detectives' exam.

The PACER docket is incomplete, as it starts in 1989, but it does indicate that a class was certified at some point prior.

On June 7, 1974, the court (Judge D. J. Freeman) granted partial summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered that the Detroit Police Department take affirmative action and meet quotas for female officers to eliminate discrimination. Schaefer v. Tannian, 1974 WL 3027 (E.D. Mich. 1974). The court (Judge Freeman) also retroactively awarded seniority to women who would have been qualified for officer rank but were denied it because of their gender. Schaefer v. Tannian, 1978 WL 133 (E.D. Mich. 1978). On June 1, 1992, the court (Judge Paul V. Gadola) awarded back pay to female officers who had been denied promotions or raises. Schaefer v. Tannian, 793 F.Supp. 150 (E.D. Mich. 1992). This case was closed in 1998.

Julianne Nowicki - 07/25/2010


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