Attorneys representing Prince George’s County agreed to pay $2.3 million to a group of Black and Latinx officers to settle a discrimination lawsuit against the police department.

Defense attorneys with the county and plaintiffs’ attorneys with Washington Lawyers Committee and American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland agreed to the settlement Tuesday, according to a press release from the ACLU. In addition to the payout, the county agreed to an overhaul of the department’s promotional system and other policies to combat discrimination.

In December 2018, Black and Latinx officers alleged that the department’s policies for handling racial and discriminatory harassment complaints were “inadequate” and county police leadership failed to discipline officers for racial profiling. They also said there were inequities between officers of color and their white counterparts in disciplinary actions. An unredacted report from the lawsuit’s plaintiffs released in February claimed that an environment of racism and retaliation persisted in the department, and had not been adequately addressed by department leadership. Following the release of the redacted version of the report last year, former Police Chief Henry Stawinski resigned. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said at the time that Stawinski’s decision to step down had nothing to do with the report.

Lieutenant Thomas Boone, president of the United Black Police Officers Association and one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement that he hopes for changes under the new police chief Malik Aziz.

“This is an important step, but the work is not over. We have reached a place where things can be reset, and we will see if we can work better together with the County and the police department going forward,” Boone said in the statement.

Rhonda Weaver, the county’s attorney, told DCist in a statement earlier this year that the lawsuit was “without merit,” adding that the “county will continue to vigorously defend” itself. The county did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement.

The settlement comes after two-and-half years, a series of new police reforms enacted at the county and state levels, and pressure from lawmakers to settle the lawsuit given the almost $18 million the county spent to fight it, according to the Washington Post.

“I have problems with how much we are spending to defend something that doesn’t really seem defensible,” County Councilmember Jolene Ivey said at a hearing in June. “We are a Black county. How are we not doing more to stand up for Black officers and Black people in general?”

At a press conference Thursday, County Executive Alsobrooks said while the lawsuit was drawn out, the settlement was fair for the plaintiffs and the county.

“The culture that was the subject of this lawsuit took decades to create,” Alsobrooks said. “Moving forward, I will continue to do the work needed to ensure that our culture and policies do not support bad actors or bad behavior. And we will also make sure that everyone in this government knows that discrimination and bias are not acceptable in our police department or any other agency.”

Chief Aziz also spoke, saying that the department is continuing to implement measures to create an equal and equitable work environment, a bias free policy, and a discipline policy with harsher penalties.  He says the department is also in the process of building trust with county residents.

“We must make room for a more robust community policing effort,” Aziz said. “And we must provide stable training and education not just for the police force, but for the community in which we are serving.”

Defense attorneys also agreed to reimburse the plaintiffs’ attorneys $825,000 for the litigation fees and $5 million in legal fees. The ACLU of Maryland and the Washington Lawyers Committee say they will be using the payout for other pro bono work and charitable causes.

Other changes to the department’s policies include prohibiting officers from using race, ethnicity, or national origin for policing determinations, creating a system to investigate and resolve discriminatory or retaliatory actions by officers, and making it clear to officers that discriminatory conduct and biased-based policing carries severe punishments.

The department’s new office of integrity and compliance will be responsible for monitoring and holding officers accountable to the new policies. The settlement takes effect Sunday.

This story was updated with comments from County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Police Chief Malik Aziz.