Opinion ID: 780508
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Plaintiff's Allegations of Pro-Catholic and Anti-Jewish Bias Within the Suffolk County Police Department

Text: 2 Because we are reviewing a dismissal of the complaint at the summary judgment stage, we view the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiff and resolve all factual disputes in plaintiff's favor. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). Plaintiff was employed by the Suffolk County Police for over 30 years, retiring with the rank of deputy inspector in 2001. He joined the department as a police officer in 1969 and attained the rank of captain in 1988, through a series of promotions based on civil service examinations. Mandell asserts that throughout his police career he faced a pro-Christian and, more specifically, pro-Irish-Catholic bias. Further, he contends anti-Semitism for a long time has been a part of the department culture. He has repeatedly been a target of anti-Semitic remarks and taunting, such as being called that Jew and Jewboy and being told that all Jews stick together, and was subjected to insulting and demeaning conduct by fellow officers. He relates that on one occasion, for example, another officer tossed a dime on the floor before him to see if he would stoop down to pick it up. Plaintiff claims also to have heard virulent anti-Semitic remarks directed at other Jews, such as f  ing Jews and f  ing Jew lawyer. Although these overt expressions of anti-Semitism in his presence virtually ceased in 1989 upon his promotion to deputy inspector, he attributes this to his rank, not to a shift in the department attitude toward him. 3 Rabbi Jeffrey Wartenberg, a Suffolk County police chaplain, supported plaintiff's allegations, stating in an affidavit that during his 20 years with the department he had heard many Jewish officers complain about the disparaging remarks made against their religion. Based on his experience, Rabbi Wartenberg concluded that anti-Semitism is a way of life within the Department and that Jewish officers had been held back in their careers by superiors with negative feelings about them. He said his complaints to every police commissioner, including defendant Gallagher, did not result in any corrective action, and the Suffolk County Police continues to favor Catholics, while Jewish officers are only promoted in the rare cases where merit is the sole criterion.