The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a “pattern or practice” investigation into the Maryland Department of State Police to examine if the agency had racially discriminatory hiring and promotion practices, officials announced Friday.

The Justice Department is granted the power to investigate state and local employers if it believes there is a “pattern or practice” of employment discrimination. Federal law bars employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin and religion.

The agency said in a news release it had not reached a conclusion about allegations. It said the governor and state police superintendent were informed and had “pledged cooperation.”

It will be investigated by local U.S. attorneys and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

“This office strives to protect the civil rights of all Marylanders, including the rights of our sworn law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “This investigation also furthers our mission to restore trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve by ensuring fair employment practices by police departments.”

The superintendent of the state police, Col. Woodrow W. Jones III, said in a statement he learned about the investigation Friday morning and welcomed it, pledging the agency’s cooperation. He added his administration has worked to address diversity and inclusion.

“Significant actions have been taken and are continuing to address even the perception of racism or unfair treatment of any kind,” Jones said, pointing to the hiring of subject matter experts, new procedures and initiatives and new lines of communication the department had created.

Black troopers and state lawmakers have for years raised concerns about disparate treatment of Black employees around discipline, hiring and promotions. The superintendent of the agency was called in for questioning by lawmakers last year, with one referencing an incident in which a banana was left on the hood of a Black trooper’s car.

Media reports have previously highlighted a larger number of disciplinary cases against Black officers than white counterparts and a lack of proportional representation.

Last month, after an explicit challenge coin with the state police logo and offensive language surfaced, some Black troopers said they took the coin’s message about being “offended” as a response to allegations they’d raised of racial discrimination.

Sgt. Anthony Alexander, president of the Coalition of Black Maryland State Troopers, said at the time there was “animosity and division” in the agency after recent complaints. He called the coin an example of a culture that needs to change.

“It’s a complete disrespect for your fellow brothers that’s beside you,” Alexander said at the time. “If that is the case, then how do we serve the community? How do we serve Maryland, if we are divided?”

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened several pattern or practice investigations into law enforcement agencies under Attorney General Merrick Garland. The ongoing probes include examinations of agencies in Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix, New York and Louisiana.

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