Campus cop’s complaints of bias spur investigation

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | 8:34 a.m.

Clark County School District officials confirmed Tuesday they are investigating complaints by a campus police officer who says her superior officers played favorites among the staff, creating a hostile work environment.

The woman police officer, who has not been identified, first raised the charges in a grievance hearing earlier this year, said George Ann Rice, associate superintendent of human resources. While the grievance committee ultimately sided with the school police department in the woman's complaint, the issues raised by the officer were troubling enough to warrant a closer look, Rice said.

"I decided to launch an inquiry into whether or not the allegations had substance," said Rice, who sat on the grievance committee that heard the initial complaint. "We want our employees to feel comfortable and valued. If people feel they are being treated unfairly or differently we need to evaluate that, because that's not the kind of work environment we want to foster here."

For the past several months investigators have been talking with school police officers and department administrators, Rice said.

The woman officer's complaints included allegations that other employees were allowed to return late from designated breaks while she was reprimanded for being tardy. The woman officer also alleged that some of her co-workers were given first crack at plum overtime assignments, Rice said.

Clark County School District Police Chief Elliot Phelps declined to comment on the investigation, citing personnel confidentiality. Phelps would say he had made creating an equitable work environment a priority throughout his law enforcement career. About 10 percent of the school district's 154 officers are women, with several holding upper management positions, Phelps said.

"Our internal affairs investigator is female," Phelps said. "I didn't select her because she's female, I selected her because she was the best person for the job."

Phil Gervasi, president of the Clark County School District's Police Officers Association, said he was unaware of the woman officer's allegations or the internal investigation by the district's human resources office. The allegations of gender discrimination are surprising, Gervasi said.

"I haven't heard one complaint about sexism -- not one," Gervasi said. "I would say we have a good working environment, we're all on the same page and working to get the same job done."

Gervasi scoffed at the claim that overtime assignments were unfairly handed out.

"Believe me, as understaffed as we are there's more than enough overtime to go around," Gervasi said. "We don't even have enough officers to cover our basic athletic overtime for games."