Four female Des Moines Police Department employees sued the Iowa city on Tuesday after receiving inappropriate photos from the former president of the Des Moines police officers’ union.
According to a statement from the city, former Des Moines Police Bargaining Unit Association President Stew Barnes confirmed that he sent photos in 2019 and 2020, including some of himself naked.
After leading the union since 2001, 61-year-old Barnes retired in August 2020 before he could face any internal disciplinary actions or criminal charges, The Associated Press said, despite what the lawsuit calls “overwhelming evidence” that he harassed his female colleagues.
In a statement, Des Moines said the women in the case did not report the misconduct as required by policy.
“Consistent with state and federal law, when the City became aware of the behavior, the City immediately and thoroughly investigated the allegations and took all necessary remedial steps,” the statement said.
“It sends the message that you can sexually harass someone and walk away and retire if you are at the end of your career,” Jill Zwagerman, the attorney representing the women, told the AP.
The lawsuit seeks to bar Barnes from receiving retirement benefits and demands a criminal investigation into his use of police resources “to find and stalk women.”
“Contrary to plaintiffs’ complaints, the City does not have the authority to prevent the offending
officer from resigning or receiving pension benefits,” the city’s statement added.
The lawsuit also claims that this case is part of a broader culture that permits sexual harassment within the department. It says that female officers were subjected to sexist comments from male officers on a “regular basis” and have “suffered retaliation” for speaking out about gender discrimination, adding that many officers knew they would not be reprimanded for treating women like sexual objects.
“If the Department cannot properly address sexual harassment when it is staring them in the face, how can women trust that the department will ever support them in treating them as equals,” Zwagerman said in an email to The Hill.
A fifth woman in the case also claimed that she was not promoted in the department because of her gender.
The lawsuit alleges that another male employee within the department was permitted to resign instead of being investigated last month after making inappropriate comments to a female employee.
—Updated at 2:05 p.m.