City PD faces second tort claim
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."