Topline
Inspector Carneysha Mendoza, a 24-year Black female veteran with the U.S. Capitol Police who was injured during the Jan. 6 riots, sued the law enforcement agency Wednesday, accusing it of passing her over for larger roles because of her race and sex.
U.S. Capitol Police officers wait to board the Senate subway on Wednesday, February 26, 2024.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Facts
A 22-page complaint filed in Washington, D.C., alleges Mendoza was wrongly denied a promotion to deputy chief and at least one assistant chief position.
The lawsuit cites the Congressional Accountability Act, which extends workplace anti-discrimination protections to Capitol Hill employees, asserting she was denied because of her race, sex, or both.
Mendoza specifically calls out Chief of Police Michael Sullivan for selecting Matt Tighe, a white male who Mendoza claims was not as qualified as her, for deputy chief.
The lawsuit alleges Mendoza outperformed Tighe at every prior promotion and reached the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant and captain before him, noting she commanded the Civil Disturbance Unit through the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection attempt and suffered chemical burns to her face, neck and head while Tighe “remained in the Cannon Subway, even as other USCP officers begged for assistance.”
Mendoza also claimed she completed the 10-week FBI National Academy program in 2021 while Tighe did not.
The lawsuit also alleges broader discrimination at the agency, saying Sullivan disbanded the USCP’s Office of Equity and Inclusion last year and that a 2025 jury found the USCP’s K9 training program had discriminated against a female officer on the basis of sex.
Forbes has reached out to the USCP for comment.
Big Number
198 years. The lawsuit notes the USCP has never, in its 198-year history, operated with a permanently appointed Black chief of police.
Key Background
Mendoza’s complaint is the latest set of allegations regarding the USCP and its internal culture. In addition to noting the K9 training program case, the lawsuit cites a case from 2023 in which the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights found a USCP deputy chief had discriminated against a Black sergeant. Following the finding, the agency promoted the deputy chief to assistant chief, with Mendoza’s complaint alleging no disciplinary action was made against the officers responsible for the K9 case or the 2023 discrimination case. Mendoza was one of more than 1,000 Capitol Police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riot, which resulted in the injuries of over 140 officers. One officer was assaulted and sprayed with a chemical substance and died the next day, while four officers died by suicide in the days and months following the attack.
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