Former Lakemoor officer accuses department of firing her over her PTSD
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A former Lakemoor police officer once hailed as a hero is suing the northwest suburban department, saying she was wrongly fired due to having PTSD after a violent confrontation with a murder suspect.
Brianna Tedesco was fired a year after her struggle with Kenneth Martell, who was shot and killed by another officer in July 2018.
Her federal lawsuit accuses the Village of Lakemoor and the chief of police of discrimination and retaliation.
Body worn camera footage shows the moment Tedesco says changed her. She was on patrol alone on the night of July 25, 2018, when she approached a suspicious vehicle parked in the woods; a man at the wheel who she later learned was Kenneth Martell, who had been wanted for killing an elderly man in Pennsylvania earlier that month.
"When he opened his eyes, I immediately knew this was going to be a bad encounter. He was soulless," she said.
When she asked for his ID, he pulled a gun. A tussle ensued, lasting 26 seconds. At that point, Tedesco's partner ran up and shot at Martell, killing him.
After the incident, Tedesco was hailed as a hero, but she said symptoms of PTSD quickly set in.
"I knew I was different. I knew I was just afraid," Tedesco said. "Everywhere I looked, I felt someone was there waiting – waiting to kill me."
After six weeks, she returned to her street patrol – unsuccessfully, she said. Loud noises, screaming, being alone, all triggered her PTSD. Her doctor requested accommodations on her behalf, including being put on light duty.
"I started out asking for a shorter shift accommodation. That was denied. I asked for a day shift accommodation, as the shooting happened at night and I had struggles with the dark. That was denied," Tedesco said.
She requested several trainings to help in her recovery.
"I looked at the deputy chief and I said, 'Am I being fired?' and he said, 'Yeah.' And I immediately left and called the union, because the letter basically said, you have PTSD, you can no longer work here."
She also claimed she faced harassment and retaliation from fellow officers after she reported her PTSD, accusing them of telling her to "put on her big girl pants," and sometimes failing to respond to her calls for backup while she was on patrol.
Tedesco's attorney, Dan Herbert, said Tedesco's firing was not just stunning and devastating to her, but against the law; a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"You can't fire somebody for disability; and especially in a situation where this disability was understandable, given what she went through, and almost expected," he said.
More than four years after the incident, and three since she was fired, Tedesco wants to get her job back. But she is also studying psychology and hopes to one day help first responders cope with trauma.
"I feel like I have an opportunity to be a voice for a community of officers that are struggling with mental health, but are afraid to speak out about it, because they will face retaliation from the department. That's the unfortunate circumstance in today's law enforcement society. So I'm hoping to change that; bring light to this stigma in law enforcement," she said. "Departments need to be better equipped with resources for their officers before a critical incident happens, and that scramble to locate one doctor after an incident occurs."
An attorney for the Village of Lakemoor said they do not comment on pending litigation.
