Former police chief says he was demoted because of his religion

Published 6:59 am Friday, June 28, 2019

A Mississippi city is being sued by a former police chief who says he was demoted because of religious discrimination.

WDAM-TV reports that in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Carlus Page says Lumberton city leaders had agreed to give him Sundays off so he could continue to serve as a pastor, but later voted to demote him to part-time patrol officer.

The suit says that accommodation was granted when he first joined the force as a part-time officer in 2013, and was agreed upon again when Page became chief April 2018.

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After he was demoted in August, Page says he was scheduled to work every Sunday in September and thus resigned from the Lumberton police force altogether.

The lawsuit seeks back wages and reinstatement to the position of chief.