Washington Terrace police officer Marcia Christensen has filed a federal lawsuit, accusing her fellow workers of discrimination and retaliation.
According to the suit, Christensen's difficulties date to April 1995 when she reported sexual harassment by another officer to Washington Terrace Police Chief Merv Taylor.Taylor refused to act on the complaint. Christensen was reprimanded and denied a promotion and salary increase earned by male officers with similar or lesser duties, the suit states.
Eventually, Christensen was fired for failing to qualify on a shooting test with a new department handgun widely considered too large for a woman's grasp. Department heads had refused her request to use an alternate firearm.
That decision was later overturned by Mayor Brad Dee, and Christensen was reinstated in January.
But she says the climate of hostility and retaliation has continued. Christensen said officers have given her the silent treatment, refused to issue her needed equipment and supplies and assigned her to menial tasks.
"Most important, other members of the department put Christensen into potentially life-threatening situations by refusing to respond to her requests for back-up," her suit states.
City Administrator Pearce Shelton had not seen the lawsuit but said the city does not agree with Christensen's claims.
"It's a long story and I don't want to try this thing in the newspaper," he added.
The lawsuit accuses Taylor of commenting that "females do not belong in law enforcement," and using the phrase "me and the boys" when referring to the police department.
Christensen also says a co-worker that she mentioned was helping her prepare evidence for a discrimination complaint filed with the state was fired five days after her meeting with Dee.
Christensen has filed two discrimination and retaliation complaints with the state but opted to pursue her claims through federal court.
The suit, filed May 21, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against Dee, Taylor, Shelton and the city and police department of Washington Terrace.