Washington D.C.

DC Assistant Police Chief Says She Was Once Told as a Cadet to ‘Have an Abortion or Be Fired'

“My choice to have a baby was personal, and it should’ve been mine alone and not for an employer ultimatum,” Chanel Dickerson said

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Chanel Dickerson, an assistant police chief in Washington, D.C., and one of 10 Black women who filed a class-action lawsuit last month against the city alleging widespread discrimination, said this week that as a cadet she was told she had to get an abortion to keep her job.

“My choice to have a baby was personal, and it should’ve been mine alone and not for an employer ultimatum,” Dickerson said Tuesday at a community meeting. “I was told I had to have an abortion or be fired from the MPD cadet program.” She said she was 18 at the time.

It was unclear what happened afterward, but Dickerson has been with the department since 1988, according to the department's website.

The Metropolitan Police Department did not respond to a request for comment Thursday about Dickerson's claim. It said previously in a statement that it could not comment on pending litigation but "is committed to treating all members fairly and equitably throughout our organization."

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here. 

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