LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A second Lincoln police officer is alleging sexual harassment and discrimination in a lawsuit.
The Lincoln Journal-Star reports that the lawsuit Melissa Ripley filed in Lancaster County District Court comes four months after Sarah Williams, another officer, leveled a similar accusation.
Ripley’s attorney Kelly Brandon described the discrimination as “pervasive” in an interview Wednesday and said female officers are leaving the department to the detriment of the community because of the failure to address it.
Williams, for instance, has taken a job with the Omaha Police Department.
Acting Police Chief Brian Jackson announced in March that the department had pledged to improve recruitment and retention of female officers. He declined to comment on the lawsuit.