CASE NUMBER 19

By Chief Lee Kutzke
Lombard (IL) Police Department

The Lombard (IL) Police Department received accreditation in November 1991. The department was recently required to defend itself against a federal lawsuit claiming gender based discrimination involving a probationary police officer who was terminated in 1994 after failure to meet department expectations during the probationary training period.

During the preparation of the defense and presentation of the case at trial, the extensive documentation of the day to day training evaluations and the overall quality of the field training program were instrumental in convincing the court that the training program was complete and the evaluations were objective. The daily observation reports completed by the various field training officers and supervisors were valuable in the defense of the charges.

The fact that the department had an extensive recruitment program and an affirmative action plan that included specific steps to recruit women was presented. The department's overall professionalism and status as an accredited police agency meeting national standards helped to convince the court that there was no pattern or policy of discrimination in hiring or training. The jury returned a verdict exonerating the department and the department members named in the suit and without award of any kind to the former officer.

The accreditation process caused the department to revise and update the field-training program and to have a recruitment plan and affirmative action plan in place. Prior to accreditation, the defense of this case would not have benefited from the extensive documentation and the professional standing conferred by accreditation.