The American Civil Liberties Union is investigating hiring practices within the fire department in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The ACLU got involved after Jamie Hamley, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, was denied a job. He said he was passed over for a younger, less-education white applicant despite his experience as a volunteer firefighter for his tribe.

Hamley appealed to the South Dakota Division of Human Rights but his complaint was dismissed in January 2007. His case has drawn attention recently because he saved a man from a burning car in Sioux Falls in January.

"Jamie Hamley has helped plenty of others. It's time to return the favor," Matt Okerlund of The Sioux Falls Argus Leader wrote in a February 7 column.

Of the 178 firefighters in Sioux Falls, only two represent racial/ethnic minorities.

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ACLU investigates Fire Rescue hiring (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 3/2)

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