Leaders keep eye on bias claims

If the Pinellas Park police allegations are true, the mayor says, "we're going to clean it up. We're going to straighten things up."

By ANNE LINDBERG

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 12, 2000

PINELLAS PARK -- Council members "sickened" and "disturbed" by allegations of sex discrimination in the Police Department say any such problems must be cleared up even if it would mean a change in department leadership.

But they stopped short of calling for an immediate change in leadership, saying they want to see if the charges are true.

"I hate to see disenchantment in any department," Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler said. "It just seems like it's all coming down in the Police Department for some reason. We have to resolve these issues. It's not good for the morale of the department."

The mayor said he generally has no problems with the department's leadership, even though he does not totally agree with all its decisions. But with the allegations of sex discrimination, Mischler said the leadership "needs probably to be looked at."

Mischler added, "If they are true, then we're going to clean it up. We're going to straighten things up."

The mayor was reacting to the news that three female officers have separately filed state and federal complaints alleging that they are victims of sexual harassment and discrimination. Two of the officers, Donna Saxer and Cynthia Martin, still work for the department. The third, Shirley Atherton, who also goes by her married name of Marsh, has quit the department since filing three separate claims of discrimination and retaliation.

Pinellas Park police Chief David Milchan has said that sexual discrimination and harassment are not a problem in his department. Other city leaders have also denied there is a problem, but they have launched an investigation into Saxer's complaints.

Among the women's charges are claims that an award-winning female officer has been denied training, transferred out of a special unit and locked out of promotions. Another woman was told that women who become pregnant are given "bad days off and bad shift hours" so they'll be less likely to have another baby, she said.

The women also allege that when a female officer with large feet asked for her second pair of shoes in seven years, was told her foot size was a "physical deformity" and a "birth defect." Also, a female officer was "yelled at" and accused of insubordination for complaining about the department's treatment of women.

Catherine Kyres, a St. Petersburg attorney who represents Saxer and Martin, said discrimination is widespread and ingrained in the Police Department. The only way to change that, she said, is to change the leadership that tolerates such abuse.

Council member Rick Butler said he found the allegations to be "sad and sickening," but he declined to comment on Kyres' call for a change of leadership in the department. Butler said he wanted to wait until "everything comes out."

He did concede that the issues raised by the women could indicate a problem with the department's management.

"It's very similar to being elected. It kind of starts at the head and works its way down," Butler said.

Butler, though, said he's not sure where these problems may come from. That is why he would be in favor of having someone from outside the city investigate the allegations.

"I'm hoping the EEOC is the tool," Butler said.

Council member Ed Taylor said he was "disturbed" by the claims and the comments attributed to male officers.

"I, like many of us, had heard rumors of some morale problems from the Police Department, but took them as just possibly that, not knowing whether they were based in fact," Taylor said.

"You would think that in any workplace, and most certainly here in Pinellas Park, that any employee should have the right to rise to whatever level that their abilities will take them."

Instead, he said, it looks as if officers' futures are being "preordained" by higher-ups.

"It's tough enough as it is to get promotions," Taylor said.

He agreed with Kyres, the lawyer, that the allegations raise serious concerns about male officers' attitudes toward women and how receptive they are to female crime victims.

He also agreed with Kyres that some changes need to be made if the charges are true.

"If they are founded, I would be certain that the city manager would feel the same as attorney Kyres and take the appropriate action," Taylor said.

He added, "If I were king, I would start at the bottom (and work) up."

That's because lower-level managers have more chance to be discriminatory and say abusive things to rank-and-file officers, he said. But Taylor conceded that the lower-level managers would not feel free to make sexist comments and discriminate based on gender unless they felt that upper-level officers would back them up.

"I think investigation will show just how far up it gets," Taylor said. "I think the city manager will take the appropriate action."

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