OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington State Patrol is looking for current or past members of the military who applied for and did not receive jobs with the agency.
The public cry is the result of a lawsuit claiming WSP did not give proper preferential treatment to those with military histories.
Last year six military veterans sued the Washington State Patrol, claiming they did not receive preferential treatment guaranteed to them by law.
Law enforcement agencies are required to give members of the National Guard and Reserves or those who have been honorably discharged from the military what are called "veteran preference points" in the application and promotion processes.
Sgt. Tina Martin, with the WSP's Homeland Security Office, said the points should have earned her a chance to be promoted to lieutenant last year.
She spent a year in Iraq with the Washington National Guard.
Martin said she's not suing over the money she would have made as a lieutenant.
"I don't want to see employees or potential employees have to fight for what's rightly theirs," said Martin.
WSP Capt. Monica Alexander said it's too early in the legal process to say if any mistakes were made.
She said WSP is trying to reach out to any members of the military or veterans who applied for, and didn't get, jobs with WSP between 1994 and 2013.
The state patrol wants those applicants to fill out a survey at http://www.wspveteranlitigation.com/.
