BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A state investigation has concluded that the Bismarck Police Department did nothing wrong when firing a female sergeant who is alleging gender discrimination.
The Labor Department’s report earlier this month said the state is “unable to conclude that a violation of applicable statutes has occurred,” the Bismarck Tribune reported .
Former Sgt. Robyn Krile filed a complaint last year against the law enforcement agency on allegations of sex discrimination related to interactions with other officers, a performance review preventing her from a promotion and retaliation in the form of firing.
Krile was fired in March 2017 after a prosecutor deemed her credibility was impaired based on previous statements police have said she made.
The department moved Krile to a different shift in 2016 because of allegations she lied to an officer about backup policy for arrests. She was later reprimanded again for allegations she told some subordinates she was moved because the officer from the original incident, who is Hispanic, had pulled the “race card.”
The incident followed with Krile being given a yearly evaluation score of 2.9 out of 5 by her lieutenant, the lowest score in the department.
“I really felt that it was to intentionally keep me from being able to get promoted,” Krile previously told the newspaper.
Most female patrol officers at the department scored in the bottom half of the rankings in 2016, according to evaluation records provided by Krile’s attorney, Chris Redmann. Scores are used for potential promotions and pay raises.
Krile said the Labor Department’s conclusion is disheartening but not surprising given what she said was an incomplete investigation.
Bismarck Police Chief Dan Donlin said he was pleased with the state’s finding.
Krile’s case now begins an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission process.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
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