2 Irvine Female Officers Claim Sexual Harassment and Bias

At least two female police officers are pursuing federal complaints against the city’s Police Department, alleging they were sexually harassed and discriminated against by their superiors.

The complaints, filed with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission in San Diego, contend that Officer Shari Lohman is being forced to take a disability retirement, while narcotics investigator Abby Taylor has been denied a bulletproof vest, although her male co-workers were issued the equipment.

Lohman’s attorney, Gregory G. Petersen, said Wednesday that two other female employees of the Police Department have filed EEOC complaints, contending they were treated differently than male employees and subjected to lewd remarks.

City officials say they have only been served with complaints by two women, Lohman and Taylor. The EEOC, however, has 10 days to notify employers of the allegations against them.

“Management has allowed discrimination to continue and refused to investigate these complaints,” Petersen said. “We tried to solve this informally, but the city said, ‘Go away. Leave us alone. We’re wonderful.’ ”

Irvine City Manager Paul Brady Jr. denied the allegations of sexual discrimination and said the city has never had a sexual discrimination complaint sustained against it. A custom bulletproof vest had to be ordered for Taylor because she is short, he said, and male officers with conditions similar to Lohman’s arthritis have been terminated and given disability retirements.

“Neither I nor Police Chief Charles Brobeck will tolerate any sexual harassment, harassment in general, intimidation or retaliation against any employee in the city work force,” Brady said.

Lohman, an eight-year veteran of the department, alleges that she was fired unfairly and told to take a disability retirement about six months ago when she developed arthritis from a work-related back injury. She said that male officers with similar health problems have been allowed to keep their jobs.

According to her complaint, Lohman was forced to take disability retirement after she told a sergeant that she had been the victim of suggestive remarks from a male co-worker.