Female cop files suit against AGPD

A female officer with the Arroyo Grande Police Department has filed a lawsuit against the agency, its chief and a retired commander, claiming she is the victim of harassment and discrimination.

Senior Officer Michelle Cota filed the civil suit on Dec. 22. It names the department, Police Chief Steve Annibali and retired Cmdr. John Hough.

Cota, who has been placed on administrative leave, is seeking unspecified monetary damages, allegedly that since 2007 since has been the victim of discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual harassment, retaliation and failure to prevent harassment/discrimination.

The complaint alleges that Cota was sexually harassed by retired Sgt. Barry Bridge in 2007, and that her superiors failed to appropriately discipline the officer for his reported actions. The lawsuit also alleges that because Cota complained about the incident, she became a target for even more harassment by her superiors, specifically Annibali and Hough.

“Subsequent to complaints of sexual harassment and her objection of the department’s handling of the complaint, a pattern and practice of discriminatory and retaliatory comments and conduct against plaintiff by Annibali and the department ensued,” the complaint reads.

Cota’s lawsuit is the second to be filed against the department, Annibali and Hough by a female officer in recent years. Officer Kimberly Martin filed a similar complaint in 2010. Depositions in that case have started.

Cota’s Santa Barbara-based attorney, Christine Adams, couldn’t be reached for commen, but she also alleges in the complaint that her client became a target for continued harassment and discrimination shortly after Annibali was hired in mid-2007 as the department’s chief.

“Plaintiff is informed and believes that Annibali stated to both Sergeant John Allen and Sergeant Beau Pryor that “women just cause problems” (or words to that effect) and that women had been given too much “free reign” (or words to that effect) prior to defendant Annibali’s arrival,” Adams wrote in the suit.

The lawsuit also contends that female officers were subjected to daily inspections of their hair, nails and under-clothing, with violations reported directly to Annibali, while male officers were not put through the same strict scrutiny.

Cota claims in the suit that she was “repeatedly subjected to unwarranted inspection from January 2009 through October 2011.”

The complaint also alleges that female officers, such as Cota, were systematically passed up for promotions or special assignments that were instead given to the “golden boys” at the department.

Cota started with the Police Department in May 2003 and was named “Officer of the Year” in 2004. She was recently placed on administrative leave, although it’s unclear when or why Cota was placed on leave.

City Manager Steve Adams said he couldn’t discuss the matter in detail.

“(Michelle Cota) is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into violations of city personnel regulations and policies,” Steve Adams said. “Because of privacy issues, we cannot disclose any factual information or any of the specifics.”

He said the city plans to “aggressively defend this lawsuit” and doesn’t believe there is any merit to Cota’s allegations.

“Since Chief Annibali was hired in 2007, he has worked hard to increase accountability in order to provide the most efficient and effective public safety services possible,” he added. “Unfortunately, in the public personnel system under which we operate, litigation is all too often a strategic repercussion of such efforts.”

He also said that most of the city’s officers have responded positively to the changes made at the department by Annibali.

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