Seattle, WA - Civil-Rights Lawsuit Targets UW Police

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Seattle, WA - Six current and former employees at the University of Washington Police Department, have filed a civil-rights lawsuit against the university alleging a hostile work environment rife with racial discrimination, against female coms, blacks and Jews.

Among other things, the suit alleges a Jewish officer was told he couldn't really be Jewish because he had no number tattooed on his arm.

The employees allege that other officers, supervisors and even former Police Chief Vicky Stormo engaged in inappropriate behavior and failed to respond to the complaints.

The lawsuit claims university officials knew, or should have known, of the allegations but did nothing. As a result, some of the employees have left and others have suffered depression, humiliation and emotional problems.

University spokesman Norm Arkans said the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court, has not been reviewed by the Attorney General's Office and that the university could not comment on specifics.

"But I can say that we are aware of these issues and complaints, and had been working with these employees' lawyers to try to resolve this," he said. "We do not believe these claims have any merit, and we will defend against them in court."

Attempts to contact Stormo, who left the department in February, were not successful. She announced her plans to leave after 28 years in law enforcement last year after the university announced it planned to reorganize the department.

Arkans said the reorganization did not have anything to do with the allegations that led to the lawsuit.

Among the claims is that Andrew Cohen, a Jewish police officer, was told that it "might be a good idea" if he didn't work a detail involving a Palestinian protest of a Jewish speaker on campus, and he claims he once was told by a fellow officer that he couldn't be Jewish because "you don't have a numbered tattoo on your arm," a reference to the tattooed survivors of Nazi concentration and death camps.

Cohen complained, too, when in March 2007 "there were pictures of superimposed swastikas posted around" the station office.