Former Durham deputy police chief files federal discrimination complaint after firing
A former deputy chief of the Durham Police Department has filed a federal discrimination complaint after she was fired this month.
Shari Montgomery, who had been with the department for over 25 years, says she faced racial discrimination and retaliation between 2021 and her dismissal on Friday, according to the complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday.
Montgomery was serving as Durham’s interim police chief when she gave input to then-City Manager Wanda Page, including concerns about candidate Patrice Andrews, during the search for a permanent chief, the complaint states. Montgomery did not apply for the chief’s job, it states.
“It is my belief that Page likely reported these comments to Andrews, whom she ultimately hired as Chief of Police,” the complaint states.
Montgomery, deputy chief since 2021, was “routinely sidelined and stripped of responsibilities, including being reassigned from high-profile leadership of the department’s Investigative Services division,” the complaint states.
The complaint alleges the police department was investigating officers’ complaints that the promotion process was “biased against Black applicants” and that Montgomery was fired over “minor alleged infractions arising from the probe.”
“Two senior white officers investigated during the probe for more serious misconduct involving promotions were treated more leniently: one was given verbal counseling, the other was permitted to resign,” the complaint states.
Artur Davis, an HKM attorney for Montgomery, said in a phone call Thursday that the EEOC filing is the first step in employment lawsuits. The city of Durham has to receive notice of the EEOC filing within 10 days, after which it can mediate the case with Montgomery and reach a settlement or respond to her charges with a position statement.
The News & Observer contacted the city and police department for a response to Montgomery’s complaint. A city spokesperson said they had not received the EEOC complaint yet.
What Montgomery alleges
Montgomery was placed on administrative leave in October and accused of “unauthorized communication” with officers about an internal affairs matter, the complaint states. A month later, she was accused of failing to report a patrol officer’s complaint about promotion practices, and of mishandling disciplinary record procedures a decade earlier.
“I was placed on desk duty and assigned menial administrative work in the Property and Evidence Unit, a placement clearly meant to humiliate me in front of colleagues,” Montgomery wrote. “My professional reputation has been severely damaged.”
Last fall, The N&O requested personnel records for Montgomery and former assistant police chief David Anthony, after the two were reassigned to the Property and Evidence Unit. The information, which is public information under the law, was not received.
Montgomery further accuses the department of taking disproportionate disciplinary actions against Black officers.
“While Black officers only make up 21% of the force at DPD, they receive 41% of the disciplinary action. In fact, nearly 70% of the Black officers at DPD have faced discipline this decade compared to only 25% of white officers,” the complaint states.
The Durham Police Department has 86 Black officers serving in various units and ranks, according to the department in a Black History Month promotional video. Five Black officers currently serve on the department’s executive command staff, including Andrews.
“Shari Montgomery is proof that old ways in Durham’s police department are still alive and well, even with diverse leadership at the top. She is a remarkable law enforcement professional who has fallen victim to a double standard that is quick to judge, punish and fire Black officers,” Davis said in a statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM.