Former Monessen police officer sues city and former chief over alleged gender discrimination
A female police officer filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city of Monessen and the city’s former police chief, claiming gender discrimination.
Hannah Toski, formerly a part-time officer for the city, alleged the city’s test for full-time officers is biased against women, and claimed through her attorney Matthew Cairone that during her time as a city officer, she was harassed because of her gender and because she was dating a male officer on the force.
Retired chief John Mandarino, Cairone claimed, did nothing to stop the harassment, and misled Toski about her status on the force after she recovered from a dog bite that kept her sidelined as she recovered.
Toski was hired as a part-time police office for the city in 2015. The test for a full-time job required scaling a solid wall, which Toski could not complete.
“These wall climbs are discriminatory on the basis of gender,” Cairone writes, adding that many women fail that test no matter how strong or agile they are.
The suit stated that city officials have never had a full-time female police officers. Qualifications in the city code state “All members of the force shall be able-bodied male citizens of the United States…,” Cairone wrote, calling that “discriminatory on its face”.
According to the suit, Toski started dating a male police officer in the department about seven months after she was hired and added there wasn’t a policy about officers dating each other.
As a result, Cairone wrote, other police officers in the department started patrolling near and around the other officer’s home to monitor whether Toski was there and took photographs of her vehicle if it was around the house.
Cairone alleged those photos were sent to Toski’s ex-boyfriend, in addition to officers providing other information to her ex-boyfriend in an effort to harass and intimidate Toski.
The complaint also claimed that Toski was treated differently by the male officers, as she was asked to perform menial duties like getting coffee or filling in for the department secretary when she was not in the office.
In August 2016, Toski was bitten in the hand by a Monessen Police K-9 and required surgery, rehabilitation and time off work until she was cleared on Oct. 29 to return to work. She informed Mandarino, the suit indicated, and he asked for a medical release from her doctor.
She did so, and Mandarino told Toski he would let her know when there was space on the schedule for her, according to the suit.
Toski, however, was not put back on the schedule during November, and her inquires to Mandarino about being put on the schedule for December and January went unanswered, Cairone wrote. She was also not scheduled to attend department training and was removed from the department’s mass communication list, he wrote.
Cairone stated that nine part-time police officers – all men – were hired since October 2015.
The suit goes on to state that Toski was not considered when she was available, and the department needed a female officer to search female suspects. Mandarino, Cairone alleged, told the officer that was dating Toski she couldn’t be called because she was threatening a lawsuit against the city and police department.
Last July, Toski was told her status as a police officer was decertified due to expired CPR, first aid and firearms qualifications, and the city solicitor informed Toski that she was going to be removed from the active duty roster because of the decertification.
That same month, Toski requalified for her firearms certification and took her papers to the police department, Cairone wrote. However, around late September and early October, Toski was put back on the active duty list only to be removed this February. Her badge and number were given to a male officer, the suit alleged.
On March 5, Toski went to the police station on an unrelated matter, and the new police chief told her he would like to hire her back because she’s a good cop, he was unable to do so, the suit claimed.
Toski is seeking back pay, front pay, compensatory damages for emotional pain and suffering and mental anguish along with legal fees.
Monessen Mayor Matthew Sharrow said he can not comment on the issue because it’s litigation.