Black KCPD sergeant says she was put in chokehold at work, faced sexual harassment

A Black Kansas City Police Department sergeant is suing the Board of Police Commissioners, alleging sex, race and disability discrimination in the workplace.

The suit, filed Dec. 10 in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges a variety of issues Sergeant Johnita Harris dealt with during her tenure in the Police Department, including racial discrimination, multiple unwanted sexual advances and retaliation in the workplace following reports to human resources.

“The conduct of Defendant was outrageous and evidenced an evil motive or reckless indifference for the rights of Plaintiff and the rights of others, entitling Plaintiff to an award of punitive damages,” the lawsuit reads.

Harris’s attorney, EmmaLee Wilson, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Police Department officials also declined to comment, citing general policy on not giving statements during active litigation.

The lawsuit claims Harris was removed as the Gang Intelligence Unit sergeant due to the “discriminatory attitude” of her supervisor. The supervisor allegedly told Harris that employees complained that she did not “smile enough.”

“Department employees held a negative racial stereotype towards [Harris],” the lawsuit reads. “Department employees regarded [Harris] as a violent angry Black woman. [Harris’s] previous position of Gang Intelligence Sergeant was filled by a white male.”

Court documents claim that Harris was then moved to the violent crimes unit where she continued to experience discriminatory attitudes and hostility.

She was asked to move into a new office for a white colleague transferring into the division, who the special victims unit captain wanted to place in a bigger office, according to the filing.

Harris then began having issues with a subordinate who allegedly used racial slurs in the workplace, amongst other racially charged comments. The filing claims Harris told the officer to stop using the comments, but the behavior continued.

The Police Department has long been dogged by accusations of racial discrimination against Black officers in its ranks. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation of racial discrimination in the department was announced in mid-2021 following an investigation by The Star.

The Department of Justice investigation was closed with no findings last year, in the final days before President Joe Biden left office.

KCPD sergeant reported chokehold incident

The lawsuit claims that at one point in 2023 the officer placed Harris into a chokehold during a meeting while describing an incident that had occurred with a civilian. Harris claims she was the only other woman and only Black person in the room at the time.

Harris reported the incident to human resources, citing additional discrimination and harassment she had experienced, as well as sexual harassment by a sergeant, which was not described further in the filing.

“The finer details of this report as well as the additional reports of discrimination that [Harris] reported during the course of the internal affairs investigation, can be found in the investigative files,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit alleges two other sexual harassment complaints from unwanted advances made by another officer and a civilian who worked with the Police Department.

The lawsuit claims that the report was being investigated by a detective that had a friendly relationship with at least one of the men that Harris had reported for misconduct.

None of the officers were disciplined following an internal affairs investigation.

“During and following the internal affairs investigations, Plaintiff was isolated and ostracized from her position in the Domestic Violence Section by ongoing mistreatment from the department members,” the lawsuit reads. “After the investigation, Plaintiff was required to undergo sensitivity training as if she had done something wrong by reporting the sex and race discrimination she experienced.”

Harris then brought up concerns about a backlog of cases that weren’t being investigated in the department to a captain. Court documents claim those concerns were ignored.

Additional allegations in lawsuit

The lawsuit states Harris suffers from work-related post-traumatic stress disorder. It claims she began experiencing flare-ups during the 2023 investigation and later developed depression due to work conditions.

In 2024, Harris transferred from the domestic violence section she had been working in to avoid further discrimination or retaliation. The lawsuit claims Harris was not given training for her new position working with the Police Athletic League.

Harris was supposed to help improve the police athletic league center. In July 2024, Harris’s supervisor in her new role allegedly told her that she had a “face for radio,” during a media event where she was supposed to be on camera promoting a shoe giveaway for charity.

Later that year, Harris was approached by a coworker who tried to engage in a romantic relationship with her during a work trip in Tampa Bay, Florida. She reported the interaction and was asked to move past it.

Court documents claim that the officer became hostile toward her following her refusal and claimed that Harris had engaged in professional misconduct. The officer ultimately quit his job.

The lawsuit claims Harris’s supervisor made comments to her indicating that it was her fault for him pursuing a romantic relationship.

Harris filed a second discrimination claim in July. The lawsuit claims she’s dealt with extensive retaliation and a hostile work environment since.

“Defendants appear to be attempting to create a work environment so hostile to Plaintiff that she must quit her employment,” the lawsuit reads.

“Throughout Plaintiff’s employment, she experienced an ongoing pattern and practice of race discrimination. Defendant’s upper management also directly engaged in and were responsible for the sex-based discrimination Plaintiff experienced. Defendant took no action to stop the harassment.”

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial for the multiple claims made as part of the filing.