Female cop sues Pocono Mountain department

By WILLIAM DOOLITTLE
Monroe Messenger
A female police officer has sued the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department for gender discrimination, specifically charging that pornography was visible to her on a department computer.
Debra l. Hartley of Effort contends the department maintained a “sexually hostile work environment” for women, and three male “fellow patrol officers perpetrated a pattern of discriminatory and sometimes abusive behavior.”
Hartley was “constructively discharged” in 2003 and given a “right to sue” by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In federal court documents the department denied her allegations and challenged a ruling that allowed parts of the case to move forward.
However, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie in Scranton stated, “It is undisputed that the Police Department did not have a sexual harassment policy in place.” He added there was only “sporadic” training of police staff on the subject of sexual harassment.
A trial is set for October.