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The city of Syracuse has filed arguments to prevent the United States Department of Justice from ending a decree that allows the city to prioritize diversity hiring practices in its police and fire departments, the city announced in a press release Thursday.

The Consent Decree, which went into effect in 1980, is a judicial order that allows the city to adopt diversity hiring practices without violating New York civil service law. The order — resulting from an agreement between the city of Syracuse, New York state, Onondaga County and the Justice Department — remains in effect today.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York on Sept. 4 to end the decree. The city of Syracuse submitted arguments to the court on Tuesday to oppose the Justice Department’s motion, according to the city’s press release.

Despite his administration’s progress toward increasing diversity in the police and fire departments, Walsh said in the press release that the departments’ diversity still falls “well short of the goals established by the Consent Decree.”

“It is evident that the protections provided, and recruitment tools authorized, by the Consent Decree including the legal authorization to apply a racial preference in hiring decisions should remain in place until the objectives of the Consent Decree are met,” he said.

U.S. District Judge David Hurd is scheduled to hear arguments from the city and the Justice Department on Nov. 13. The Syracuse Common Council also approved a resolution on Oct. 13 solidifying the council’s opposition to the motion.

Published on October 29, 2020 at 6:26 pm

Contact Abby: akweiss@syr.edu | @abbyweiss_21