Dec. 02-- Four lawsuits pending in Tulsa federal court allege improprieties within the recently beleaguered Bartlesville Police Department.
Elizabeth Mitchell, who has been a Bartlesville police officer since 1995, is the plaintiff in two of the lawsuits.
She filed suit against both the city of Bartlesville and Bartlesville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 117 on June 13. She claims that she has been "repeatedly and systematically" harassed with a "barrage" of sexual references, obscene comments, sexually suggestive physical gestures and exposure to inappropriate photographs.
These alleged occurrences "created a work environment so hostile that it affected the plaintiff's ability to perform her police duties," the lawsuit claims.
Mitchell also alleges that, as a direct result of complaining to her supervisors about such conduct, she was the victim of retaliation, was denied promotions, and was subjected to additional criticism and harassment from co-workers.
She claims that secret personnel files were created and that her superiors used their positions with the department and the local FOP "to intimidate and humiliate the plaintiff because of her gender."
Mitchell filed another lawsuit against the city on Nov. 23, alleging that supervising officers were ignoring their own policies and procedures for the benefit of white male officers.
Adam Walker, who has been a Bartlesville police officer since December 2006, filed a complaint against the city in U.S. District Court on Nov. 4, claiming that his work environment is "so retaliatory in nature that it has affected the plaintiff's ability to perform his police duties."
Walker's lawsuit alleges that because he made his objections known about how his fellow officers were being treated, his special officer team status was suspended, which resulted in a loss of income.
Also, Walker claims that in retaliation for his complaints to superiors, his "police incident reports" were altered without his permission, as were other records relating to his job performance, with "some records being deleted in their entirety."
Like Mitchell, Walker alleges that secret personnel files were created.
Cody Thomas, who was hired as a Bartlesville police officer in 2009 and fired on April 7, 2011, filed a lawsuit on June 21. His complaint, which was updated Nov. 3, alleges that he was systematically harassed because of his Hispanic heritage.
As a result of repeatedly bringing the alleged conduct to the attention of his superiors, "he was the victim of retaliation and denied promotions or reduced in salary" before ultimately being terminated, Thomas claims.
The four lawsuits all list Johnny Akers and Frederick Esser as the plaintiffs' attorneys.
Walker's lawsuit says Thomas was "fired in a manner intended to effectively chill any attempt to reform the Bartlesville Police Department."
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