Suit Charges Drown With Sex Discrimination : Sheriff’s Race: Sheriff’s Capt. Maudie Bobbitt says candidate transferred two officers over concern for “all-female command.” Drown denies the charge.

Assistant Sheriff Jack Drown transferred two female officers from the Santee patrol station last year because he was concerned about there being too many women in the station’s “all-female command,” according to a sexual discrimination claim filed this week.

One of two candidates running for sheriff next month, Drown denied the allegation Tuesday and said he never had concerns about having three women in supervisory slots at the same location.

Drown said he had nothing to do with the transfer of a sheriff’s detective sergeant and, although he did transfer a lieutenant, it was over a personnel matter unrelated to her gender.

“I do not recall saying I had a problem with having all women (in that station) because that’s not the way I think,” he said. “I think, if you talk to most women in the department, you’ll find that I have their respect.”

A sexual discrimination complaint filed this week with the county’s Civil Service Commission on behalf of Sheriff’s Capt. Maudie Bobbitt, one of two female captains in the department, alleges that Drown told Bobbitt in a meeting a year ago that he was concerned about having three females in supervisory positions at the same station.

Shortly thereafter, the claim says, Drown transferred Lt. Lori Bird to the Imperial Beach station and Sgt. Roberta Bethea to the crime prevention unit. Bethea now works at the Las Colinas Jail in Santee.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Jack Drown doesn’t accept women in law enforcement,” said Everett Bobbitt, Maudie Bobbitt’s attorney and husband. “I think this will hurt him.”

Bird and Bethea could not be reached for comment.

Maudie Bobbitt, a 21-year department employee and captain for four years, is in the midst of a battle being waged between her husband and outgoing Sheriff John Duffy that has growing political overtones.

The Bobbitts support Drown’s opponent, Jim Roache, for sheriff. Everett Bobbitt represented Roache in a successful lawsuit against Duffy that allowed Roache to run against him.

Duffy endorses Drown. Last week, Duffy reopened an investigation into allegations that Maudie Bobbitt overlooked or ignored charges of inmate abuse at the El Cajon jail, where she was captain from July, 1986 to February, 1988.

After the county grand jury concluded in 1989 that deputies, as part of a so-called “Rambo Squad,” abused inmates with extraordinary cruelty, Duffy suspended Bobbitt and nine others.

Everett Bobbitt accused Duffy of reopening the investigation Friday because Bobbitt was pursuing a Civil Service Commission appeal of his wife’s 35-day suspension. Duffy decided to rescind the suspension in order for the investigation to be reopened.

Duffy, in turn, said the investigation was being reopened because Everett Bobbitt alleged that Duffy “condoned . . . the mistreatment” of prisoners and expected his top command to do the same. Bobbitt said that Duffy condoned abuse, but Bobbitt’s wife did not.

On Tuesday, Duffy asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s San Diego office to help investigate civil rights abuses that may have occurred at the El Cajon jail. Duffy said his office will continue its own internal affairs investigation at the same time.

If Maudie Bobbitt’s allegations are true, Duffy said, “it would amount to a conspiracy to violate civil rights of prisoners on the part of the sheriff and his command officers.”

As part of her sexual discrimination claim, Maudie Bobbitt said, she has faced discrimination since she graduated from the sheriff’s academy in 1969. The complaint says she was not allowed to work in any position other than the women’s jail until 1972, when she was transferred to the juvenile division.

She said her request to become a deputy in the patrol division was torn up in front of her.

The claim says Duffy did not allow women to become eligible for promotions until 1977. Bobbitt was made sergeant in 1979 and transferred to internal affairs in 1981. She said Drown denied her a job in the public affairs division that year because she lacked patrol experience.

A year later, she was promoted to lieutenant in the communications division. In 1986, she was promoted to captain and assigned to the El Cajon jail. After she was transferred to Santee in 1988, she said, she was routinely ignored by her supervisor.

About 17% of the Sheriff’s Department is made up of women, none ranked higher than captain. The department has two women captains, nine lieutenants, 23 sergeants, 63 correctional deputies who work at the jails and 133 sworn deputies out of 1,359 positions.

Both Drown and Roache said they are committed to promoting qualified women and minority members to top-level positions. Roache has gone so far as to say he will promote a woman to assistant sheriff if he is elected.