MANLIUS, NY — Angela Palmer, a Manlius town police officer since 2007, has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging discrimination in the police department.
Palmer filed a federal lawsuit May 27. She also filed a charge of discrimination and retaliation with the New York State Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a complaint with the state Division of Human Rights.
Palmer, 41, alleges the Manlius police department treats women “as second-class citizens” and excludes them from certain assignments, training and authority positions while favoring the male officers. This also results in lower pay and benefits for female officers, she alleges.
The lawsuit also claims the department holds female officers to higher standards and more scrutiny while allowing male officers to evade criticism or discipline
Palmer’s lawsuit is the second lawsuit filed against the police department and town in the past four years. Former Manlius police officer Kerry Wolongevicz filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court in 2017 alleging that she was sexually harassed, exposed to a hostile work environment and discriminated against at the town police department.
Wolongevicz’s lawsuit was settled in fall 2020. She received $200,000, and the Manlius police department was directed to train officers on topics including gender discrimination, harassment, retaliation and elimination of gender bias.
Palmer’s lawsuit alleges that training never took place.
Manlius Police Officer Angela Palmer at an annual police bike ride. She has filed a federal lawsuit against the town and its police department.
Palmer is asking the court to order the department to stop discriminatory practices. She also asks that the department be required to complete the ordered training.
Palmer alleges in the lawsuit that “on occasions too numerous to mention male officers are known to make sexual and derogatory remarks about females and their bodies, and treat women as unworthy or beneath dignity.”
She said that caused her to be intimidated and subjected to excessive scrutiny and hostility which interfered with her work. Palmer also alleges she was retaliated against for reporting that treatment.
Among the allegations in Palmer’s lawsuit:
After becoming a family services officer in February 2010 working in the special investigations unit, Palmer alleges, a colleague, Investigator James Gallup, regularly made derogatory comments about females and was hostile to Palmer.
She alleges he “denigrated and isolated” her, made her feel unwelcome because of her gender and created a hostile and discriminatory work environment that has hurt her performance.
Palmer also alleges Gallup denigrated her job performance and abilities, withheld information, excluded her from meetings and training, and demeaned her. She was the only female investigator in that unit.
For example, in the lawsuit Palmer alleges her two male co-workers, Gallup and Daniel Filip, refused to provide coverage for her when she was “on-call,” but did so for each other. When Palmer complained, she was told to get counseling because she couldn’t handle workplace conflict, she alleges.
In December 2019, Palmer said she was told she could no longer adjust her work schedule to take her daughter to physical therapy appointments. That hadn’t been a problem before, the lawsuit alleges, and male officers were allowed to make scheduled adjustments for personal reasons while Palmer said she wasn’t permitted to do so.
Palmer also alleges during a phone conversation on her personal cell phone while off-duty she talked with her union representative. She complained to the rep that only male officers were allowed to attend ‘‘police week’ in Washington, D.C.,. She then referred to those male officers who were repeatedly selected as being a “penis club.”
Gallup and other male officers filed a complaint against her for saying that, and she was later disciplined with a 15-day suspension without pay. She alleges the discipline was “discriminatory and retaliatory,”
After filing her EEOC complaint, Palmer says, she was called into the chief’s office and told of three “infractions” for which she could be disciplined. Palmer alleges this was designed to discourage her from continuing her legal proceedings.
Palmer and Ed Theobald, Manlius town supervisor, declined to comment citing pending litigation.
Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com