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EEOC Complaint: School Safety Agents Have Sex During Shifts
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 21, 2011
Modified Feb 21, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 21, 2011
Modified Feb 21, 2011
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A federal discrimination complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that the NYPD's School Safety Division is a hotbed of sex and sexual harassment. The Post reports that the federal complaint paints a portrait of a "raunchy, sexually charged environment where some female agents regularly engage in down-and-dirty noontime affairs with bosses inside department vehicles -- and then boast about their sleazy shenanigans to co-workers." And what's more, the complaint alleges that women who would have sex with their bosses got perks like "chauffeured drives to and from their homes, overtime, promotions -- and even cash gifts"—and women who didn't want to put out were fired.
Former school safety agents Charisse West, 30 and Shameca James, 29, claim that they were sexually harassed and wrongfully dismissed when they refused to partake in the sexual goings-on at the school safety division's Long Island City headquarters. One of the allegations in the EEOC complaint is that "two female school-safety agents were reputedly involved in simultaneous affairs with senior supervisor Gary Armstead, the deputy director of the school-safety division, and the situation led to 'frequent fights at work because this was a love triangle that everyone knew about.'"
When asked about the accusations, Gary Armstead told the Post, "You're telling me something I know nothing about. I have no idea what you're talking about," adding, "Anybody who has any allegations of sexual harassment knows they are supposed to call OEEO." However, attorney Eric Sanders, who is representing the West and James, tells us West and James couldn't tell the NYPD's OEEO because they were fired first.
Sanders also says that the alleged hijinks are "widespread... It's not a secret." During the course of his investigation he found 10-15 other women who have been harassed and he's seeing if they will join the complaint. The EEOC has six months to investigate the matter; if it does not make a decision and the NYPD denies the allegations, the complainants could sue.
Tagged
eeoc
equal employment opportunity commission
federal complaint
nypd school safety division
school safety agent
sex
sexual harassment
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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