Becker responds to pending harassment suit by 3 SLCPD officers


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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker responded Sunday night to a pending sexual harassment civil rights lawsuit expected to be filed soon by three veteran police officers against the city.

Robin Heiden, Melody Gray and Tiffany Commagere, along with their attorney Ed Brass, have notified the city that they intend to file a civil rights lawsuit against Salt Lake City, its police department, former Deputy Chief Rick Findlay and Chief Chris Burbank, as the Deseret News first reported Saturday.

The women claim they were sexually harassed by Findlay, a superior officer. Their harassment claims were substantiated by an Internal Affairs review, according to letters from Burbank and a city employment manager.

Becker's office declined to comment about the pending lawsuit Friday, telling the Deseret News it was against city policy. But Sunday night, Becker apparently changed his mind and issued a prepared statement.

"I take any claim of harassment and discrimination very seriously. As this situation unfolded, my administration addressed the issue with the police department and will continue to do so in close coordination with the Human Resources Department and the city attorney’s office to prevent this kind of behavior in the future. It’s simply unacceptable," Becker said.


"I take any claim of harassment and discrimination very seriously. As this situation unfolded, my administration addressed the issue with the police department and will continue to do so in close coordination with the Human Resources Department and the city attorney's office to prevent this kind of behavior in the future. It's simply unacceptable." Mayor Ralph Becker

"The 3,000 employees of Salt Lake City work hard every day to serve our residents and visitors, and we have citywide processes in place to ensure that they may work in an environment that is safe and free from hostility.

"It took courage for the three female officers to bring this claim forward. I recognize it is particularly difficult to do so in a professional, and potentially public setting. My administration will not tolerate any instance of retaliation associated with these or any other claims,” the mayor said.

The three women filed a notice of claim with the city last year. The time period for the city to respond has now expired. The women say they intend to officially file their lawsuit as soon as an administration claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been resolved, which they expect in the near future.

Findlay was placed on administrative leave on Nov. 8, 2013, seven months after Gray said she first went to police administrators telling them about a picture of her and Heiden in bikinis that Findlay allegedly took from her cellphone without permission and then showed other co-workers over two years. On April 15, 2014, Findlay waived his right to a pre-disciplinary hearing, meaning he had the chance to dispute the allegations against him. Because of that, his case went straight to Burbank's desk for a final determination of discipline. On June 4, 2014, a letter sustaining the sexual harassment allegations against Findlay was delivered from Burbank's office to his chief deputy.

But just days earlier, Findlay resigned from the department. He had just reached his 20-year mark, making him eligible for more retirement benefits.

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