Rock Island, Ill. – A landmark lawsuit has been initiated by Dytanya Robinson, the Rock Island Police Department’s first Black female officer, against both the city and Police Chief Timothy McCloud. The suit, launched in January in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, asserts claims of racial and gender discrimination throughout her tenure with the department which began in 1998.
Robinson’s interactions with department leadership began challenging norms from the start. In 2001, she voiced her first formal complaint, alleging harassment by a sergeant, a claim she says was investigated but not documented by the department and the Fraternal Order of Police.
Persistently overlooked for advancement, Robinson details a sequence of denied promotions from the early 2000s until 2011 when she was finally promoted to sergeant—a post typically available after four years of service. Despite then qualifying for further promotions to lieutenant, her upward mobility was repeatedly curtailed, while less senior colleagues, notably white males, moved ahead.
In a stark depiction of the challenge Robinson faced, she sought promotion to technical services sergeant in 2016. The position was instead awarded to a less senior white male, which the then-chief justified citing the officer’s parental duties—an explanation Robinson found particularly galling as she, too, was raising her grandson at the time.
The list of grievances does not stop at denied promotions. In 2024, Chief McCloud decided to keep a lieutenant position vacant until after the expiration of the eligibility list on which Robinson ranked first, delaying her expected promotion.
Robinson also emphasizes unequal treatment regarding her professional development pursuits. She points out that her request for a department-sponsored internship was rejected, while similar requests by white male officers were approved. Her pursuit of further education through Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command was also stalled when the department preferred to send younger lieutenants to the program.
Robinson’s lawsuit encapsulates several allegations of discriminatory practices, arguing violations under the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the U.S. Constitution, and the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003. She is seeking compensatory damages, back pay for missed promotions, coverage of attorney fees, and other related damages.
A trial by jury has been requested by Robinson. To date, her legal representatives have abstained from public comments due to the ongoing nature of the litigation. In response to inquiries, the Rock Island City and Police Department have issued a statement denying the allegations and expressing their anticipation for addressing these claims in court. They emphasized that the city and department uphold diversity and enforce equality and equal opportunities for all employees.
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