Cop Sues Department, City For Sexual Harassment

Police officers are supposed to protect the public and each other from those breaking the law, but it appears that one officer in Contra Costa County, Ca., forgot this part of his duty. The man is accused of creating a hostile work environment for a female co-worker after the two broke off their romantic relationship. The pair had been dating sporadically for three years when the man began stalking the woman, according to court documents. The woman is suing the city and the police department for allowing the harassment to continue.

The woman alleges that she was subjected to sexual harassment, gender discrimination and other wrongs in connection with the incidents. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the man’s behavior.

Authorities report that the man was a supervisor at the department at the time of the break-up. The pair split in 2011. After parting, the man reportedly became confrontational with his ex at work, berating her in front of fellow officers by yelling at her and calling her offensive names. He called her repeatedly at work and hunted her down to talk when she did not answer his calls.

The man then forced the woman to transfer to his division, where her career suffered under his leadership. The woman was removed from cases because her ex was mad at her for breaking up with him, and she was embarrassed when the man warned other officers against dating her. He continued to get angry throughout 2012 because the woman refused to get back together again, even having a GPS device installed on the woman’s car so he could track her when she was on breaks.

In this case, the woman could recover damages for emotional distress, as well as a hostile work environment and pain and suffering. The man actively prevented the woman from doing her job, which is unacceptable even if they had dated before. It is not clear how much the woman is seeking in connection with the case.

Source: SF Bay, “Cop sues another cop over alleged harassment,” Angela Ruggiero, Feb. 1, 2013.