Former City Police Officer Says She Was Ostracized After Reporting Alleged Sexual Assault By Fellow Cadet

  • Monday, November 8, 2021

A former Chattanooga Police officer said she was ostracized after reporting an alleged sexual assault by a fellow cadet.

She is suing the city and the Chattanooga Police Department for more than $500,000 in compensatory damages as well as $500,000 in punitive damages.

The Chancery Court suit says she was a city officer from July 2016 until she resigned in May 2021.

The suit, filed by attorney Harry Burnette, says while the plaintiff was in the police academy but off duty, she was sexually assaulted by another academy cadet.

It says, "Because of the embarrassment and humiliation of the assault and because plaintiff did not know how the assault would affect her status with the academy, she did not report the sexual assault."

The suit says she and the other officer were assigned to different areas, but last September they were placed together when precincts met due to COVID protocols. She said she confronted the officer and told him she felt that she needed to report the incident.

She said a short time later she was called into a meeting with Internal Affairs. 

She was confronted by two male officers who said she needed to go into detail about the incident, it was stated. She said she "was humiliated and embarrassed by having to reveal what had taken place, and the recall of the events caused additional emotional distress."

As a result of her accusing a fellow officer of sexual assault, she was retaliated against, the suit says. "She was threatened with criminal action, charged with wrongdoing, and ostracized by her coworkers," it was stated.

An Internal Affairs investigation was opened into her conduct, the suit says.

She said male officers began to stop responding to back her up when she made traffic stops. "This retaliation endangered plaintiff's life and safety," it was stated.

She said she was forced to resign in May.

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