• 24
  • February
    2011

There have been a few posts lately about sexual harassment in the California police and fire departments. While it is disheartening to read news stories about state authorities sexually harassing their co-workers, there is sometimes more to the story. Every so often, we also hear about the good guys. The people who use their leadership to stand up for what is right; to stand up against co-workers who are harassing others.

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle discussed the story of a male police lieutenant who recently won a retaliation case against the city of Concord. Tim, a 24-year veteran and lieutenant, stood up for the rights of his female co-workers who were being sexually harassed by others in the department. The department showed their appreciation towards Tim by retaliating and filing false claims against him.

He sued the city, saying that because he supported several female police officers who filed harassment suits against the Police Department, that he had been "isolated and denigrated, both professionally and personally."

After an argument with a police chief, Tim was transferred to a less desirable position. Although we was eventually promoted, that only happened after he wrote a letter to the city manager complaining about the situation. Later that year, he was also subject to an internal investigation. Tim was accused of making inappropriate sexual comments about a female officer. However, Tim claimed the accusations were false, and that the female officer was forced to file the inaccurate complaint against him.

Tim recently won the lawsuit. The city will pay him more than $47,500 to settle the claim. They are also paying an additional confidential amount to resolve a worker's compensation claim, which was based on the same allegations. It is refreshing to know that good people still exist, the legal system can bring justice to those people.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "Concord settles with male cop who sided with women," Henry K. Lee, 24 February 2011