Lawsuit: New Mexico city made officers target minorities

HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — Former officers say a southeastern New Mexico police department forced officers to target people of color to make quotas and retaliated against those who complained. The Hobbs News-Sun reports three former Hobbs officers filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging racial discrimination and retaliation within the Hobbs Police Department. Court documents say one black officer heard another officer used a racial slur, and another black officer was excluded during his training from eating lunch with white trainees. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of black former officers Brandon Ellis and Vasshawn Robinson, as well as white former officer Jeremy Artis, seeks an unspecified amount in damages. The city of Hobbs said in a statement the city had not been notified of the lawsuit. ___ Information from: Hobbs News-Sun, http://www.hobbsnews.com