St. Louis Sheriff’s Office Resolves Multiple EEOC Charges of Race and Age Discrimination

ST. LOUIS — Today the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced an agreement with the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office to resolve 13 charges of race and age discrimination with the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The EEOC’s investigation of the charges found reasonable cause to believe that former Sheriff Alfred Montgomery simultaneously terminated a group of older white employees and a black employee without any assessment of job performance or level of experience in January 2025.

Before taking office, Montgomery publicly announced in December 2024 that he could not wait to get rid of the “top-heavy” employees, demonstrating his bias against older workers. The misconduct extended beyond age discrimination, since the EEOC also asserted that Montgomery targeted white employees for termination and fired a black employee when he spoke out against the unlawful discrimination he observed happening to his long-term colleagues.

David Davis, director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District, said, “Employers, including public employers, must make decisions based on merit. The EEOC is committed to addressing age discrimination by all covered employers and to working with the Department of Justice to enforce Title VII’s prohibitions against race discrimination by public entities.”

This alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibit race and age discrimination as well as unlawful retaliation.

Although the sheriff’s office denies the allegations and does not admit to the violation of any statute enforced by the EEOC, it agreed to engage with EEOC in the pre-litigation conciliation process following the agency’s investigation.

This process resulted in a five-year-term agreement requiring the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office to electronically post and distribute all newly created and/or revised employment policies in compliance with Title VII and the ADEA; provide training to its employees about their rights under Title VII and the ADEA; train human resources personnel and management who exercise decision-making authority; post a notice to employees about the resolution of the case and their rights under the laws enforced by the EEOC; and report to the EEOC about its compliance with the terms of the 13 conciliation agreements.

While the agreements resolve the matters between the sheriff’s office, the EEOC and DOJ, the former employees retain their rights to proceed to court.

For information about race discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation in the workplace under Title VII and the ADEA, please visit:

• Race Discrimination: https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination
• Age Discrimination: https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination
• Retaliation: https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation

The St. Louis Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the security of the courtrooms of the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit Court and for serving court papers and eviction notices.

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over discrimination charges and agency litigation in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and a portion of southern Illinois.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.