Judge orders Cleveland police department to promote 2 officers

CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio judge has sided with two police officers who say their department skipped over their promotions due to the death of a fellow police officer.

Judge Steven Gall of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Thursday sided with Zina Martinez and Sean Smith, ordering the Cleveland Police Department to immediately begin the process of promoting them from the rank of sergeant to lieutenant. Cleveland.com reports the two had promotion hearings that ended up being canceled after the hearings fell on the same day as Officer Vu Nguyen’s funeral.

Smith and Martinez argued they both took promotional exams and had been informed by supervisors they were going to be promoted.

A city spokesman says the city has no immediate comment.