Chicago settles bias lawsuit filed by Justice Department

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago's City Council has approved a $3.1 million settlement of a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department that alleged the police department's residency requirements discriminated against foreign-born applicants.

The agreement approved Wednesday requires Chicago to hire eight immigrants and compensate 47 others who were denied employment because of a rule requiring applicants to have lived in the United States for the previous 10 years.

The deal had its opponents. Alderman Nick Sposato, a former firefighter, said because it involves policing, the city needs to "know what these people are like."

The Justice Department alleged the policy requiring applicants to live in the United States for at least 10 years was discriminatory. In 2011 the city lowered the requirement to five years.