FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of Fort Lauderdale Police officers and a civil rights organization are demanding accountability about what they described as a hostile work environment in the department and its leadership’s failure to address the situation.
Leaders with the NAACP joined members of the department’s Hispanic Police Officers Association and Black Police Officers Association at a news conference held Tuesday morning.
“It is unacceptable that in 2026, Latinos and African American officers are still confronted with situations rooted on bias, discrimination and unequal treatment,” said Jorge Felix Del Rosario with the Hispanic Police Officers Association.
At the center of these officers’ allegations is FLPD Officer Steven Poherence, who made headlines back in 2020 after he was seen on cellphone video shoving a kneeling Black Lives Matter demonstrator during a protest.
Poherence was charged with a misdemeanor battery charge but was acquitted by a jury.
Now, the problematic situation stems from an exam.
The officers who are claiming a hostile workplace at FLPD said that late last year, the 12 officers who scored the highest in a sergeant’s test conducted by the department were Black and Hispanic, and they were subjected to allegations of cheating by Poherence.
“Hardworking officers spent months, literally months, studying and preparing for the sergeant’s exam,” said Marsha Ellison, President of the NAACP’s Fort Lauderdale/Broward Branch. “These Black and Hispanic officers, obviously based on the implications, weren’t smart enough to have done better than all these other officers, particularly one: number 13.”
Attorney Stephan Lopez said number 13 was Poherence.
“The Black and Hispanic officers simply scored better than him. Twelve of them. But because he couldn’t accept that, he then created this environment where he accused the Black and Hispanic officers of cheating,” said Lopez.
These officers believe the police department didn’t do enough to shut down Poherence’s comments nor properly investigate the allegations of cheating, leaving the officers who scored well under a cloud of suspicion.
“Let me be clear: Racism, hostility and any form of unjust discriminatory behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” said Del Rosario. “We are here, not only to address what has occurred, but to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
“The environment was not one that they had hoped for, not one that they expected, and one that is very concerning,” said Ellison.
Those who took part in the news conference are asking for an independent investigation, preferably by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, into their claims.
“Their skin color should not have counted for anything in this. This was just an exam that they worked hard for and now their experience has been cheapened,” said Lopez.
“We are asking for the command staff, the chief and others to hold these people accountable,” said Ellison.
In a statement, the City of Fort Lauderdale said:
The City of Fort Lauderdale takes these allegations seriously and is reviewing the situation thoroughly to ensure a fair assessment and appropriate action.
Late Tuesday evening, the city shared emails by the police chief that shed light on both sides of the story.
In an email by FLPD Chief William Schultz dated April 9, he stated: “We have been made aware of questions surrounding the Sergeant’s Promotional Registry. The testing process was administered by Miami Dade College as contracted and there have been no discrepancies identified to date…The results that were published on Thursday, April 2 are valid and any information contradictory to that is baseless.”
As for the allegations against Poherence, the officer responded to the chief’s email by saying: “I have not made any allegations of cheating against any candidate. My concerns are directed solely at the process itself.”
Poherence’s legal team has not responded to 7News’ request for comment on these allegations. It remains unclear if there will be any investigation into Poherence.
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