AAPD female officer sues employer for gender bias

Ann Arbor Police Department officer Laura Anderson is suing her employer for what she claims are gender-biased promotion policies.

Anderson's lawsuit claims that the AAPD denied her promotion because of gender prejudice and that her fellow officers have been retaliating against her since March for filing a sexual harassment complaint.

The AAPD has not yet been served with the lawsuit. Neither AAPD spokesperson Sgt. Larry Jerue, AAPD Chief Carl Ent nor City Attorney Abigail Elias would comment on the suit.

Promotions to sergeant are awarded in part on the basis of a written exam. When three sergeant positions became available, male officers who did not score as highly on the review were promoted while Anderson was not, said James Fett, Anderson's attorney.

"What they have done is apply different standards to deny her promotion," Fett said. Anderson received the second highest score of those officers who took the exam and was rated "highly qualified" overall.

The AAPD, in their review of Anderson's application for promotion, claimed that she showed signs of immaturity. Cited in the review was an incident in which Anderson was off duty at a bar with several fellow officers, and either went or was pushed into the men's bathroom.

"There was an incident when her fellow officers pushed her into the men's john," Fett said. "The facts that will come out is that they tolerate much more egregious behavior in their male officers, but it doesn't affect their promotion a bit."

Also involved in the lawsuit is a charge of sexual harassment filed by Anderson against an AAPD sergeant in March.

Fett said that earlier in the year, Anderson told an AAPD lieutenant that she had been harassed. The lieutenant called for an investigation, which found no wrongdoing, Fett said.

Anderson filed a formal complaint of sexual harassment with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission after the investigation was complete.

Ent wrote in a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission that Anderson showed signs of immaturity by filing a sexual harassment complaint after the investigation was complete. Ent's letter, which is quoted in the lawsuit complaint filed by Anderson, called the complaint a sign of her "lack of maturity" and an attempt to win promotion unfairly.

"They're blaming her because one of their lieutenants felt an obligation to do an investigation," Fett said.

Anderson's suit also claims other AAPD officers have been retaliating against her since she filed the complaint. Fett did not specify what form this retaliation has taken or from whom it has come.

Fett said he and his client have not yet named the amount of monetary compensation Anderson is seeking.

Fett said the lawsuit would likely compare Anderson's alleged acts of immaturity to the behavior of other officers.

"The stuff that will be interesting will be the stuff that comes out about their male officers," Fett said.

Fett would not specify about these other incidents or which officers were involved.

03-13-98