Officer Daryn Glenn of the Redondo Police Department filed a complaint in Los Angeles on Friday for gender and pregnancy discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and failure to prevent harassment and discrimination. She is seeking unspecified damages in the claim.
According to the lawsuit, Glenn, 28, who was recruited in 2017, became the first black K-9 handler in the city in 2021.
She informed her superiors of her pregnancy in October, and they immediately removed her from her patrol duty, according to the complaint.
‘Specifically, plaintiff was told by supervisor Lt. Cory King that it is department policy to remove female officers from patrol for safety reasons once they get pregnant,” the suit states.
Officer Daryn Glenn, who works at the Redondo Police Department, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Friday where she seeks unspecified damages for gender and pregnancy discrimination, harassment, retaliation and failure to prevent harassment and discrimination
Glenn, 28, was hired in 2017 and became the city’s first black K-9 handler in 2021, the suit states. She became pregnant last October and told her supervisors, who that same day took her off her patrol assignment, according to the lawsuit
Glenn also was told that she was being taken off patrol because the department allegedly does not have maternity uniforms for pregnant officers, the suit states.
Glenn was reassigned to dispatch and remained there until going on maternity leave in June, the suit states.
When Glenn complained to her union president in November that the department was discriminating against her on the basis of her sex, gender, and pregnancy and that the transfer was not recommended or required by her doctor.
She claims he responded by saying ‘words to the effect of, “If you want to stay in canine unit, I can push you down the stairs or kick you in the stomach”,’ the suit states.
Glenn said Lt Cory King (pictured) told her that it was department policy to remove female police officers from patrol for safety reasons once they get pregnant, according to the lawsuit
Glenn reported the union president’s alleged comment to King, who did not investigate and told the plaintiff to ignore the remark, the suit alleges.
Glenn further alleges the RBPD took away her patrol vehicle, forbade her from attending K-9 training and ordered her to turn over her dog in January so it could be sold.
Previously, a disabled male officer was allowed to continue working patrol and attend K-9 trainings with his dog and was never reassigned to a light duty position for alleged safety reasons, nor was his animal taken away, according to the suit.
Glenn’s career has been damaged because she has been lost overtime and promotional opportunities, and the stress has impacted her health, her suit states.