The Alabama State Troopers was an organization, which supported
governor George
Wallace in his promises of segregation. In 1965, troopers assaulted
civil rights activists who were opposed to Wallace's policies.
However, the situation remained the same until 1972 with the entrance
of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC
gained an order that required the state to hire qualified black
and white troopers in a one-to-one ratio until the black troopers
made up twenty-five percent of the trooper force. However, state
officials opposed by making it difficult for the black troopers
to complete their training by hindering them with unjust disciplinary
practices and refused to administer fair promotion tests. The
SPLC returned again and again to the court to force state troopers
to cooperate until in 1987, the case reached the United State
Supreme
Court. The SPLC gained a favorable judgment and state officials
ended their resistance. Nearly 23 years after the SPLC brought
the state officials to court, the case finally ended in 1995 resulting
with the Alabama State Troopers having the highest percentage
of minority officers in the nation.
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