City PD faces second tort claim
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August 7, 2013 |
The second tort claim alleging a hostile work
environment within the Bonners Ferry Police
Department was filed Tuesday by officer Tiffany
Murray, citing, in part, actions by police
sergeant John Lunde, who filed a claim against
the city June 21.
While no reasons were given due to personnel
confidentiality laws, it was confirmed by police
chief Steve Benkula that Lunde is no longer
employed by the city.
In addition to claiming a hostile work
environment, Murray alleges to have been subject
to sexual harassment, both by Lunde and
assistant police chief Joel Minor.
In her complaint, Murray cites several specific
allegations against Lunde beginning in early
November, 2010, and continuing until, she said,
she went to Minor in June to restate her
complaints against Lunde, and was given his
protection ... at an alleged price.
Murray claims that on November 3, 2010, Lunde
falsely accused her of breaking city equipment,
an audio microphone officers wear while on duty.
She claims that on November 6, 2011, Lunde
referred to her pejoratively in reference to
overtime, that he later went through her
personnel file and conducted his own internal
affairs investigation against her, both in
violation of city policy.
She stated that she went to former Police Chief
Rick Alonzo several times, and was told "she
would have to learn to deal with it."
She went to current police chief Benkula in
October, 2012, and made the same complaint;
Lunde took a leave of absence, she said, and the
harassment stopped, only to start again "at a
greatly increased level" when he returned to
work in April, 2013.
She said she was encouraged by an unnamed
supervisor to use her office at Bonners Ferry
High School, where she serves as the school
resource officer, to alleviate the alleged
harassment, which isolated her from other city
officers, leading to a complaint by city
administrator Stephen Boorman for not being
present at the police department. Murray alleges
that in June, Boorman made false allegations
that she was trying to file a false claim of
work injury to get time off.
She then went to Minor, to whom she said she
restated her complaints of a hostile work
environment.
"Deputy Chief Joel Minor actively protected the
Claimant from Sergeant Lunde," her claim says.
"In exchange for this protection, Deputy Chief
Joel Minor expected and requested Quid Pro Quo
sexual favors and engaged in uninvited and
unwanted lewd, offensive and lascivious behavior
that appealed to prurient interests."
The actions against her by Lunde, Boorman and
Minor, she alleges, were "intentional, willful
and malicious.
"The City of Bonners Ferry has fostered and
maintained conditions and attitudes in the City
shops that have been sexually and racially
offensive," the complaint alleges. "The highly
offensive conditions and attitudes created and
fostered an openly hostile work environment."
The tort seeks $500,000 in damages, and comes
right on the heels of the launch of a formal
investigation into alleged ethics and other
violations against the City of Bonners Ferry by
the Idaho Attorney General's Office.
In response to escalating turmoil in the police
department and the city as a whole, Benkula
said, "It's tough right now, but we'll get
through all this. We have good people working
for the City and a great community, and we'll do
what's right." |
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