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UK OFFICERS SUE OVER DISCRIMINATION www.privateofficer.com
Lexington KY. Oct 13, 2007
Seven female former or current police officers at the University of Kentucky have sued the university and its acting police chief, claiming they ignored reports of persistent gender discrimination.
One woman, Lisa Blankenship, alleges that acting Chief Joe Monroe retaliated against her for filing a report with UK’s Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity by forcing her to return to work from disability leave, even though her return had not been cleared by a doctor. She was subsequently fired after the university was unable to accommodate her temporary disability, the lawsuit alleges.
The suit was filed Wednesday in Fayette Circuit Court by Blankenship, Laura Marco, Bobbye Carpenter, Brenda Palmer, Tiua Chilton, Gina Wilson and Lori Creech.
A gender discrimination complaint filed with UK’s equal opportunity office by the women in February alleges that Monroe created an uncomfortable work environment by discussing his exploits drinking and partying at strip clubs. They said regular participation in these activities was a vehicle for favorable treatment.
The complaint also alleged disparate punishment for men and women and favoritism in how job assignments are handed out.
University spokesman Jay Blanton said UK does not comment on pending litigation.
The last time UK was searching for a police chief, in the late spring of 2005, Blankenship and Chilton met with university President Lee T. Todd Jr. According to the lawsuit, they told Todd of “numerous instances of mismanagement, abuse of authority and violations of university policy by Monroe, including conduct evincing a discriminatory and stereotypical attitude toward women.”
Monroe was a finalist for the job even though he said he was suspended for two days for carelessly firing his gun in the parking lot, the gender discrimination complaint alleges.
The university eventually hired McDonald Vick of North Carolina Central University. Vick resigned in July 2006 after news reports broke that he had paid off a former subordinate at NCCU who claimed he sexually harassed her after the two had an extramarital affair.
UK officials were aware of pending gender discrimination lawsuits against Vick at NCCU, but they’ve said an executive search firm recommended it not be a factor in his hiring.
About the time of Vick’s departure, UK human resources officials interviewed the women about gender discrimination allegedly perpetrated by Ken Clevidence, who retired as assistant vice president for public safety in June.
Clevidence was the de-facto police chief from October 2004 until June, with the exception of the five months Vick was chief, according to the lawsuit.
It is not clear whether the university ever followed up with the human resources investigation, and the reports have not been found, said Lexington attorney Robert Abell, who is representing the seven women.
“Certainly they are ignoring them,” Abell said.
Monroe learned in June of Blankenship and Chilton’s 2005 meeting with Todd, the lawsuit alleges. Blankenship was fired on July 18, even though she had warned that she was not ready to return to work and suspected she was being retaliated against, according to the lawsuit.
Wilson, Chilton and Carpenter still work at UK. Marco, Creech and Palmer have either quit, left for new jobs or retired, Abell said.
The lawsuit asks for Blankenship’s employment to be reinstated. It seeks damages for loss of income and benefits, emotional distress and mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation. It also seeks punitive damages.
The suit names the UK board of trustees, Monroe, Clevidence and Alexandra Silver McConnell, an administrative staff assistant. The suit alleges that McConnell threatened to file a baseless lawsuit against the women for reporting gender discrimination.
McConnell also depleted Blankenship’s vacation time balance by changing her status in a computer record-keeping system, the lawsuit alleges.
In court documents filed in another lawsuit by Stephanie Bastin, a former assistant police chief, the university has said it has no reason to believe McConnell has ever intimidated any employee.
Bastin’s lawsuit, filed last year, claims she was forced to leave the department for not persuading an officer to dismiss a citation against a senior school administrator. It also alleges gender discrimination.
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6 Suspects sought in casino stabbing www.privateofficer.com
Gardnerville NV. Oct 13 2007
Authorities are looking for six people in connection with the stabbing of a 23-year-old Carson City resident.The vcitim remains in stable condition at Reno Renown Hospital after having been stabbed numerous times during an altercation with six unidentified subjects. The victim claimed to have been stabbed several times while walking through the rear parking lot of Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in Stateline at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. The cause of the altercation between these parties is unknown.The Douglas County Sheriff’s Department is seeking to identify six individuals, three males and three females believed to have been involved in this stabbing.Security surveillance video captured the images of these subjects while inside the casino. The sheriff’s office has released these images in hopes that someone in the community can help identify one or all of these six subjects.The Douglas County Sheriff’s Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information resulting in the identification, arrest and/or prosecution of these subjects. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Greg Rooney at 782-9905 or telephone our Secret Witness hotline at 782-7463.
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Another Shoplifter Assaults Security www.privateofficer.com
ROCKLAND Me. Oct. 13, 2007 — A woman from Rockland could face serious time in jail for shoplifting. Amanda French was in court Friday afternoon, accused of class-a robbery, the most serious felony charge available.
Police say the 20-year-old was spotted Thursday afternoon by employees at the J.C. Penney store in Rockland, trying to stuff clothing into a backpack. When store security people confronted French in the parking lot, she allegedly tried to fight them off and get away. “It turned into a scuffle as she was trying to enter her vehicle. Security was trying to keep her from entering the vehicle and actually almost climbed in the vehicle with her,” said Dep. Chief Wally Tower of the Rockland Police Department.In court Friday, the prosecutor said the car was driven by French’s mother. Police say all three security workers sustained minor injuries in the scuffle. They say French’s use of force to escape with the clothing changed the crime from misdemeanor shoplifting to robbery.Police say French hit one of the security people in the face, clawed another on the arm, then spit on them and told them she had AIDS or HIV. French’s lawyer says she didn’t know they were security officers.
Bail was set, including the condition she stay out of any J.C. Penney store.
Police say French shoplifted more than $300 worth of clothing with the help of a 16-year-old girl.
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SUSPECTES ARRESTED IN GUARD’S MURDER www.privateofficer.com
SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN GUARD’S MURDER http://www.privateofficer.com
LONG BEACH, Calif. Oct. 13, 2007 Two Long Beach men suspected in the bludgeoning death of a security guard who apparently interrupted tool theft from the Cottonwood Christian Church construction site in Cypress were behind bars on Thursday, police said.David Joseph Zimmer, 19, surrendered to police on Wednesday and was booked at the Orange County Jail, said Cypress police Sgt. Jim Olson. Sean Christopher Hodge, 26, was arrested Oct. 2 after police served a search warrant at his home, where stolen property was found, Olson said.
The day after Hodge’s arrest, a warrant was obtained for Zimmer, Olson said.Hodge is due in a Westminster courtroom on Friday to answer to murder, burglary and robbery charges, along with the special circumstance allegation of murder during a robbery, according to a court Web site.Security guard Michael Thomas Garry, 52, of Westminster, was found about 6 a.m. Sept. 14 at the Cottonwood Christian Church site, which fronts 4505 Katella Ave., police said.Olson said the men allegedly broke into a steel shed where construction workers store their tools at night. The value of the tools that were taken was not immediately known, Olson said, but some of the tools, such as an arc welder, can cost up to $5,000.Olson declined to say what was used to attack the guard, but Garry was found lying unconscious on the ground and later died at a hospital. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to his head, Olson said.”It wasn’t necessary for that to happen,” Olson said.Garry, who was unarmed, apparently interrupted the burglary.”His job as a security officer is to do periodic inspections of the site and he finds these gentlemen,” Olson said.The guard worked for a firm hired by the site contractor, Ramsey said.
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SHOPLIFTER TAKES WRONG TURN INTO K-9 TRAINING CENTER by; Rick McCann www.privateofficer.com
SHOPLIFTER TAKES WRONG TURN INTO K-9 TRAINING GROUNDS by; Rick McCann http://www.privateofficer.com
KALAMAZOO MI. OCT 13, 2007
A shoplifting suspect in Parchment thought that he had given store personnel the slip after fleeing the store with shoplifted items. Turns out he was wrong and he found out the hard way. He had evidentally taken a wrong turn and wound up right in the hands of the law. It all happened at around noon Thursday police say when a man left a Save-A-Lot with stolen groceries. During his get-away he ran straight into a K-9 training course for the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety’s K-9 team. He tried to run off, but with five K-9′s fresh off their training it didn’t take long to track the suspect down.
While this all sounds like a great a great day of fun for the police dogs and their human counterparts, it probably didn’t feel that way for the criminal.
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