Patrol sergeant sues Grain Valley Police Department for sex discrimination, retaliation
A Grain Valley police sergeant who is suing the department for sex discrimination alleges she was passed over for promotion and that responsibilities were taken away for her and given to men.
Sgt. Shannon Carr has worked for the Grain Valley Police Department for 15 years.
In 2018, she proposed starting a street crime unit to address drug activity, the lawsuit filed March 2 in Jackson County Circuit Court said. Her idea was rejected.
But a street crime unit was later started by several male officers with less experience, the petition claimed.
Over the past couple of years, other responsibilities were taken away and given to men, the lawsuit said.
A clerk at the police department declined to comment when reached Friday.
Carr is still an employee with the department, said Grain Valley City Administrator Ken Murphy.
Carr also alleges she is not paid equally compared to male sergeants.
Other problems arose in 2020. In October of that year, she said she was reprimanded after being falsely accused of insubordination about the way she processed a scene.
Two months later, she was interviewed for a detective position. An interviewer from an outside agency asked if she would need more time to show up at crime scenes because she had to do her hair and makeup, the lawsuit said.
Carr did not get the job even though she was qualified, she claimed.
After she filed a discrimination complaint, Carr alleges the department retaliated against her when she was placed on a performance improvement plan.
The petition includes counts of sex discrimination and retaliation which Carr says caused her emotional distress and lost pay.
Her lawsuit requests a jury trial.
