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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2001)
nr •TTïïUW+.-ïinews ûdûhet LSL2Û0L? lesbian officer at the Portland Police Bureau says she was sub jected to a sexually hostile work environment as the only female member of the elite Special Emergency Response Team, the Portland Tribune reported Oct. 2. Liana Reyna, 32, filed a legal notice with the city March 22 indicating she might file a lawsuit within two years. The next day, Chief Mark Kroeker temporarily deactivated the team, a 29- member unit that responds to hostage and other crisis situations. Reyna filed the same complaint May 8 with the state Bureau of Labor and Industries. She claims the discrimination stemmed from her gender as well as her sexual orientation. The allegations outline a series of initiation rituals and hazing activities that former Chief Penny Harrington called “vile,” “disgusting" and “demeaning." According to documents filed with the city and federal governments and obtained by the Tribune, Reyna claims she was forced to: • Take home a “birthday idol” consisting of two men performing oral sex. • Wear “rodent gear”— a plastic army hel met, a seashell necklace and a wooden boot— in restaurants and before and after training. • Perform menial tasks such as making cof fee, setting up firing range targets and cleaning the range. • Sing a cheer with lewd sexual terms adapt ed for her as a woman. • Participate in skits in which male members danced in G-strings and coconut bras. • Attend skits in which two members wore only thong bikinis and their gun belts and rook ies performed a striptease. In May 2000, Reyna claims, a sergeant told r SERT as a good old boys club fueled by testos terone and stupidity. “It’s upset me for a long time. It’s why females haven’t been all gung-ho about joining that unit. They’re only hurting Lesbian officer accuses Portland Police Bureau of sex discrimination themselves.” T he officer understands the desire to pro by Jim R ad o sta mote camaraderie and teamwork. However, the source added that chauvinistic and sophomoric behavior is not the way to form a ^ Tribune, the investigation involves inter- 3 views with more than 80 individuals. cohesive unit. “We want to make sure that if there’s “Use judgment,” the officer said. “How does a lessons to learn, if there’s ways to improve that make a female feel like she’s fitting in?” Asked about why the investigation is taking g on this, the entire management has the a benefit of learning those lessons,” said Sgt. so long, the insider said a lot of people need to Brian Schmautz, a spokesman participating write reports, review documents and come to a in the probe. “The mere fact that the chief consensus. “This is a high-profile thing.... There’s no way to do it properly and have took six sergeants and a lieutenant from the police bureau and v it be quick. The officer does not be- removed them from their "This really assignments and placed i U » - lieve SERT mistreated Reyna them on this investiga shouldn t go on anymore. because of her sexual orien- tation. tion exclusively...is an It is demeaning to women, tation The bureau has been under heightened indication that the bureau took the con whether there is a woman scrutiny since last year, when old anti-gay com cerns seriously.” there or not. It's just ments made by Kroeker Tribune columnist were unearthed by the Phil Stanford quoted Mark Kroeker inappropriate to do Portland Alliance. a high-ranking officer The officer hopes the her that teammates see her “like they do their who suggested the inquiry that kind o f stuff." investigation results in a has been dragged out because wives.” Another officer allegedly said, “Because change in SER T ’s initiation you are a woman, you should be working harder several members of Kroeker’s process. “This really shouldn’t go command staff are former SERT than anyone.” on anymore. It is demeaning to members. “If this were just about a Reyna ended up resigning from SERT last women, whether there is a woman there or not. bunch of low-ranking cops and sergeants, you November because she said members started It’s just inappropriate to do that kind of stuff.” spreading rumors that she had a seizure disorder. can bet it would have been over and done with in 90 days, and those guys would be down the The officer mentioned U .S. criticism of She since has been reassigned to the North Afghanistan and other Third World countries road,” the source said. Precinct. that mistreat women. “Are we treating our A Portland Police Bureau officer, who spoke SERT was reinstated May 11, but the inquiry women any better ?” J H still has not been completed. According to the to Just Out on condition of anonymity, described G ood C op , B ad C op — Portland Police Bureau officer \ There are over 10,000 websites on financial planning. No wonder you're confused. 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