A former female police officer recently won her harassment and discrimination case against the department, and a jury awarded her $10 million. NBC 7’s Omari Fleming reports.
During her time as a National City police officer, Ashley Cummins describes a culture where female officers were supposed to be submissive to their male counterparts. The details were spelled out in a civil lawsuit filed against the police department.
The suit reads: “Many of the male officers and supervisors indicated that if female officers wanted to fit in at NCPD, they either needed to be submissive to the male officers or sleep with them."
Councilmember Marcus Bush says the claims are very disturbing. And while he supports the department, he also believes there needs to be accountability.
“That's not reflective of our entire department, but there is, it's a concern that we need to look into and address fairly as a city," Bush said after a closed-door executive meeting on the issue before Tuesday’s council meeting.
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According to the suit, Cummins, who's openly gay, dealt with colleagues and supervising sergeants, especially within her squad, who harassed her between March of 2020 to January of 2021.
Among the allegations notes a fellow officer put her life in danger by deliberately failing to search a homicide suspect for a weapon and not telling her.
A San Diego jury found the department liable, awarding the former officer $10 million in damages after a trial.
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“The city is extremely disappointed with the outcome and is currently reviewing all of the legal options, including a possible appeal. The city remains committed to ensuring a fair and inclusive workplace for all employees,” said Barry Schultz, National City's city attorney.
Cummins, who's also an MMA fighter, says she and other female officers were discouraged from reporting harassment and gender discrimination. The suit says she was passed over for a position with the K-9 unit that was given to a male officer with much less experience.
And even in cases where female officers were promoted, the suit alleges two sergeants referred to the women as "incompetent" and only promoted in exchange for sex.
"Absolutely I’m open to any kind of training we need to do, any kind of reform. It's too early to say exactly what that looks like," Bush said.
The suit was filed in 2022, before a new chief was sworn in this year. Requests for comment from the police department were directed to the city.
