Scarsdale PD lawsuit

[Oswegowind 17]

Taken from LoHud.com:

First I heard of this! Ouch!

Scarsdale cop files sex discrimination suit

By TIMOTHY O'CONNOR

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: May 26, 2007)

A veteran Scarsdale police officer says she was subjected to unwanted advances by a male supervisor, deprived of a locker room and passed over for promotion in favor of less-qualified males.

The charges are contained in a federal sex discrimination lawsuit filed by Scarsdale Officer Pamela J. Blanco in U.S. District Court in White Plains. The lawsuit names Police Chief John Brogan and the village as defendants.

Blanco, 39, from Rockland County, has been a member of the 43-member police force since 1996. She filed a complaint against the village with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January. In April, the commission issued her a formal notice giving her the right to sue Scarsdale and Brogan.

Brogan said yesterday that he had not seen the federal lawsuit but that the allegations sounded similar to what was contained in the EEOC complaint.

"This is the first I'm hearing of it," he said. "But I'm not surprised by it."

He declined to elaborate or to comment on the substance of Blanco's allegations. The village's attorneys did not return calls seeking comment. Blanco could not be reached for comment. Her lawyer did not return calls seeking comment.

In her lawsuit, Blanco says she was the only female officer on the force for eight years. The lawsuit says an unnamed female officer left for another department allegedly because of Scarsdale's "gender hostile environment." The only other female on the force has rarely worked road patrol due to two pregnancies, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that the department has never had a female supervisor.

Blanco claims that a police lieutenant repeatedly pulled her out of field training and forced her to ride in his car while he complained to her about his bad marriage and asked "whether she was dating anyone."

Blanco says other male officers began referring to the lieutenant as her boyfriend. The lieutenant sent flowers to Blanco's home on Valentine's Day and brought her a gym membership so he could work out with her, according to Blanco's complaint.

Blanco charges that this year she was twice passed over by Brogan for promotion to sergeant in favor of male officers who scored lower than she did on the Civil Service Eligible List.

The lawsuit does not name a dollar amount that Blanco is seeking.

[Guest]

Saw this in the paper as well...sticky situation for sure :\