Nearly a dozen Chicago police officers who served on former Mayor Richard Daley's security detail reportedly have filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, claims the officers were removed when Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office, according to the Chicago Tribune. They allege officers who volunteered on Emanuel's mayoral campaign were hired in their place.
The officers said in the lawsuit that Cmdr. Brian Thompson and Chicago violated the city's Shakman decree that prohibits hiring workers based on politics. They also claim discrimination, saying African-American officers on the same security detail were not removed.
The Tribune reports the officers are seeking unspecified monetary damages from the removal they say lowered their ranks and reduced their pay and benefits.
The city's Law Department called the lawsuit "baseless" in a statement to the Tribune and Terry Hillard in a statement said no "political or any other inappropriate factors" were considered in the decision.
