Michigan Town’s first female cop alleges co-workers harassed and assaulted her
The first female police officer from Iron Mountain, Michigan had a bright vision for her future, but it apparently turned sour due to the alleged conduct of her colleagues.
During Teresa Williams’ nearly five years with the department, the 35-year-old has reportedly faced harassment and assault, NBC News reported Thursday.
The information was according to a federal lawsuit the woman filed recently against three agency agents.
After being hired in late 2017, she was allegedly forced to make out with her supervisor while they were at a bar taking pictures.
In addition, the supervisor and her former patrol partner are accused of betting on which of them would be the first to have sex with the policewoman.
Now she wants to be held to account, saying: ‘Just because you’re wearing a badge and you’re a cop doesn’t mean you’re above the law.’
The woman also said she wanted the community to realize that they had a right to know who served them.
According to its website, Iron Mountain’s population is 7,624 and its local counties are Dickinson County and Marquette County.
The NBC report continued:
The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment, gender discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation. The department’s two main supervisors are named as defendants, Ed Mattson, the director of police and fire services, and Joseph Dumais, the deputy director of police services. Garth Budek, Williams’ former patrol partner, is the third officer named as a defendant. The city and the police department are also named as defendants.
According to the ministry’s website, the agency is “committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing the quality of life in the Iron Mountain community through equitable and efficient service delivery.”
Jack Schulz, who is Williams’ attorney, claims officers in the city are isolated from the checks and balances systems that normally offer liability to those in larger areas.
In an alleged incident, Williams took Budek home after going to a bar. When they arrived, he allegedly made her touch his genitals over his clothes.
According to Williams, a few years after she was hired, someone told her she was about to lose her job and that Dumais had told other people outside the agency that she would be leaving soon. .
While still in the ministry, Budek and Dumais were promoted.
However, “the department reportedly began ‘relentlessly targeting’ her to discipline her and she was held to a different standard than her male colleagues, who were not disciplined for doing the same things she was been sanctioned,” reported the Detroit News in February.
Williams had a meeting with Mattson and Dumais in March last year, and according to the lawsuit, Mattson said Budek was struggling and wanted to tell his wife what happened.
Mattson also reportedly said he understood that work-related incidents happened when adults were fully clothed, and that he didn’t care about other instances that occurred elsewhere.
It wasn’t long before the woman was told she would be fired if she didn’t quit, so she left the following month.
In her resignation letter, Williams spoke about the alleged harassment and discrimination, saying it came with sadness but a sigh of relief, according to the News report.
“From this day forward, I don’t have to be afraid of you guys anymore. … I will no longer be silenced. I will continue to stand up and stand up for what is right,” she said .
Breitbart
