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Sergeant Carla Hubbard claims in EEOC filings that she faces “continuous” discrimination based on race, retaliation, gender and disability.

DENVER — A 24-year veteran of the Denver Police Department has filed a lawsuit, claiming the police have a pervasive culture of racism, sexism, and discrimination.

Sergeant Carla Hubbard claims in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filings that she faces “continued” discrimination based on race, retaliation, gender, and disability. The basis for the complaint was first reported this week by Colorado Public Radio.

“[Havard] Jennifer R. Jones, Hubbard’s attorney, wrote in the lawsuit.

Havard runs DPD’s Citywide Impact Team. The team is designed to develop community ties and recruit diverse officers to the force. According to his Denver Post, Hubbard won the 2018 “Above and Beyond Award” for showing “exemplary professionalism.”

Of the DPD’s 1,435 police officers, only 2% identify as black women and 7% identify as black men, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit follows Denver police chiefs retaliating against Hubbard when he called for an investigation into DPD officers over allegations that women faced “ubiquitous and pervasive” sexism and misogyny. It claims to have

Havard referred to a memo circulated to members of the police department, according to the lawsuit. The memo alleges that the women were “intended to make them feel unsafe” through multiple means, including “improper touching,” “verbal abuse,” and “intimidation.” Women police officers are often ignored, discredited and disrespected, according to a memo.

The lawsuit said this would lead to a decline in the number of women in police leadership.

The memo found that the woman raised specific concerns such as:

• “My sergeant. Regularly caresses and plays with my hair and rubs my back. This often happens in front of lieutenants and other detectives.
• “My sergeant. He came up behind me and put his hands around my neck and pretended to choke me. He instinctively puts my hand next to his neck because of this reaction. did.”
• DPD employees “felt threatened” and did not report “flat sexual harassment” to Human Resources.
• “Comments about women’s bodies are coming in every day. People making these comments do it openly without fear of being reprimanded by their superiors.
• People who “routinely” use inappropriate and offensive language, including anti-LGBTQ slurs and slurs against people with intellectual disabilities.

After Hubbard called for an investigation and reprimand of those who created a hostile environment, the lawsuit revealed that her boss, Glenn West, had been forced to perform key CIT duties such as diversity work and community involvement. He claims to have given Hubbard more time while he gave lower officials Patrol. Hubbard “had no clear answer” as to why, but still expressed her concerns about issues of racial and gender bias.

In March 2022, Havard was given a remediation plan that Jones called “false and baseless” in the lawsuit.

“MS. Hubbard is essentially characterized and cast as the stereotype of an angry black woman who has committed violence in violation of department policy and the mayor’s orders,” Jones wrote.

Her next offense allegedly included being two minutes late for a meeting and signing her initials and sleeve length on a form. Havard also had to keep detailed logs of everything he did during each shift, which he said was “nearly impossible” due to the “fluidity” of “long-term community involvement.” did.

“If you complain to other people, they will complain to you,” West was quoted as telling Harvard, according to the lawsuit.

Jones wrote that the “inevitable weight of retaliation” caused Hubbard to take a leave of absence due to work-related stress and anxiety disorders. She ended up in the hospital because of this stress and was cited by West for not using the correct processes for using her illness and vacation time.

Jones wrote that Havard’s colleagues did not have to receive the same treatment.

West declined to comment to 9NEWS, citing pending complaints. Doug Schepman, Director of Public Affairs and Communications for DPD, emailed the following statement to 9NEWS.

The Denver Police Department politely declines to comment on the pending complaint.

Due to pending claims, we have to politely decline an on-camera interview, but below is some relevant background information we can share.

The Denver Police Department has made many strides in recent years to improve its internal and external fairness practices. They include a lot of training and policy implementation within the department.

1. Creation of DPD SLIDE Bureau (Shared Leadership for Institutional Diversity and Equity)

2. Racial and Social Justice Academy (flyer attached above)

3. Numerous community academies. These include community members sharing their perspectives and experiences on DPD. This creates a learning environment and positive interaction for staff and residents. These academies include the Spanish-speaking Community Academy and the Women’s Community Academy.

4. Founding of a women’s collective

5. 30 by 30 – a recruitment initiative with the goal of having at least 30% women on the board by 2030

6. Implementation of workplace training to respect each other

7. Work with the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation to develop an equity action plan

8. After recruits graduate from the Academy, they are required to participate in an 8-hour cultural awareness training.

9. Creation of an Asian community outreach hotline to help communicate issues within that community

10. Provide ABLE (Active Bystander for Law Enforcement) training to all officers.

This isn’t all the steps taken recently, but it does give an idea of ​​the direction the department is headed.

The Department of Safety’s EEO Policy can be found on page 374, section 117.05. DPD operation manual.

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