A second Westbrook police officer has filed a notice saying she may sue the city claiming discrimination and harassment on the job.
Officer Sandy Mailman sent the notice to the city last week. Mayor Colleen Hilton announced Monday that the city had received it and will try to resolve the complaint without going to court.
Mailman’s claim says she was retaliated against after she and others reported that supervisors used a derogatory name when referring to a fellow female officer who had issued a speeding ticket to another officer’s boyfriend. Mailman said the treatment by supervisors created a hostile work environment and represented discrimination based on her gender and harassment for being a so-called whistle-blower.
Part of Mailman’s claim refers to the same incident that gave rise to a similar notice of claim, filed Aug. 20 by Officer Melissa May, who was the subject of the alleged name-calling after issuing the speeding ticket.
May filed also filed a notice of claim warning the city she may file a lawsuit alleging violations of the Maine Human Rights Act, including sexual harassment, hostile work environment, discrimination on the basis of gender, retaliation and whistle-blower discrimination.
May’s original claim said that after she issued a speeding ticket to the girlfriend of a fellow officer, she was told by other members of the department that Sgt. John Desjardins and Officer Jeffrey Stackpole referred to her by a derogatory name. May said she was told that an internal investigation showed that Desjardins and Stackpole admitted to using the offensive word but denied it was in reference to her.
Mailman said she had been discriminated against at work, for reasons including her report of hearing the comment.
Mayor Hilton issued a statement Monday saying the city will work with Mailman to resolve the grievances and avoid “costly litigation.”
“We are surprised and disappointed to receive it given the effort being made to address her concerns and maintain a workplace free of harassment and discrimination,” Hilton said in a written statement.
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