Part-Time Officer Files Sexual Harassment Complaint Against North Franklin Twp. Police Dept.
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NORTH FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A part-time police officer has filed a sexual harassment complaint against the North Franklin Township Police Department in Washington County.
And KDKA has learned this isn't the first complaint there.
"We're going to discuss personal issues related to a sexual harassment claim made by a part-time female police officer against fellow officers," said North Franklin Township Supervisor Ron Junko.
Township officials won't name the female part-time officer with North Franklin Township who filed the complaint, but officials did say they hired an outside attorney as special labor counsel to conduct an investigation on that claim.
"We wanted to make this as neutral and as independent as possible, which I believe is required," said Township Solicitor Gary Sweat.
The township also authorized that attorney to hire an outside firm from Monaca to investigate.
"They're interviewing as many parties as they believe are necessary based upon how they're being directed by Attorney Binotto," said Sweat.
The solicitor wouldn't get into details behind the sexual harassment allegations.
But also brought up during the meeting was part time-police officer Lindsi Kopko, regarding a discrimination lawsuit she filed against the township in September of last year. She has since resigned from her position.
In the lawsuit, Kopko alleges she wasn't hired as a full-time police officer because she's a woman and was on maternity leave at the time. She says North Franklin Police always hires the most senior part-time police officer for full-time when a position opens up, but in her case, that didn't happen.
When Kopko returned to work, she claims she was being retaliated against.
Kopko also filed a lawsuit against the City of Monongahela in October of last year for discrimination and harassment when she was a part-time police officer with that department. That lawsuit was recently settled.
