Ex-officer's lawsuit alleges retaliation by the brass

By ANITA KUMAR

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 11, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- A former police investigator is suing the city of St. Petersburg, accusing the Police Department of retaliating against her for supporting another officer.

Patricia MacLean contends her superiors refused to pay her for time worked, increased her workload and would not reconsider her resignation when she asked them to, according to the suit.

MacLean, who spent 14 years with the city, nine of them as an investigator, sued last week in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court.

Both she and Officer Tonia Nave have said their careers were derailed after they testified in support of MacLean's former supervisor, Karen Lea. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is reviewing their allegations.

Police Chief Goliath Davis III referred questions Friday to city attorneys. Mirella Murphy James, senior assistant city attorney, said MacLean's experiences had nothing to do with her support for Lea.

MacLean testified last year at a disability pension hearing for Lea, supporting Lea's contention that she became disabled after being subjected to stress on the job. She won a $29,000 annual service pension after doctors testified that depression and stress destroyed her career.

According to the lawsuit, MacClean testified truthfully about the harassment she witnessed, but she was punished because the Police Department "strenuously objected" to Lea's claims.

MacLean was not paid by the city for extra hours she worked to testify at Lea's hearing. She filed a grievance about not getting paid and submitted to Davis a Feb. 24, 1999, memo that described her stress over Lea being harassed.

Then her workload was doubled, according to the suit, and she submitted a letter of resignation but later rescinded it, and the chief refused to rehire her.

Nave, the other officer, has said she was transferred from her position as a detective to street patrol three days after she testified at Lea's hearing.

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