A group of female police officers in suburban Palos Hills have sued the village, accusing village government of ignoring their complaints of gender discrimination within the Palos Hills Police Department.
On Jan. 31, plaintiffs Traci Bachelder, Traci Hlado, Kristine Odom and Dorothy Walker filed a complaint in Cook County Circuit Court against the city of Palos Hills and the city’s Police Chief Jeffrey Cucio and Deputy Police Chief Anthony Carroccio.
The female officers are represented in the action by attorney Heidi Karr Sleper, of the firm of Kurtz, Sleper & Exline, and attorney Lisa L. Clay, both of Wheaton.
According to the complaint, Bachelder and Hlado are lieutenants, while Odom and Walker are patrol officers.
In the complaint, the four female officers – who assert they are the only female officers on the force in Palos Hills – say they allegedly have been:
- Subjected to “derogatory and unprofessional language” directed at them;
- Allegedly have been the subject of allegedly false scurrilous rumors;
- Allegedly have been subjected to bullying, scrutiny and disciplinary actions not directed at their male colleagues; and
- Allegedly have been passed over for promotions or demoted, while also being denied vacation days.
Specifically, they claimed the chief and deputy chief have said “that ‘women should not be allowed to be cops because they are not qualified;’” that “women are inferior to men;” and that women are “dumb.”
They asserted the alleged mistreatment has continued from 2012 to at least 2021.
According to the complaint, the female officers allegedly notified Palos Hills Mayor Gerald Bennett of their allegations in a letter in April 2022. While the city allegedly assigned a lawyer to investigate, the female officers assert the city did not address their complaints.
They then filed charges of discrimination with the Illinois Department of Human Rights in August 2022. The IDHR dismissed those complaints in November 2022, leading them to file suit two months later.
In an email responding to questions from The Cook County Record, Mayor Bennett declined comment, saying the city of Palos Hills does not comment on pending litigation.