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Alabama Laws for Harassment

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I am a female police officer in law enforcement. I have a female Sgt. that told me she would make sure I never outshot her or outdid her, told the guys on shift not to back me up then proceeds to constantly file complaints against me for things that she allows the males on shift to do. She constantly clocks my speed , she is writing complaints about once a week on things the other supervisor deems unfounded , she spreads false rumors about my morals, and just keeps on and on trying to get me in trouble. If she sees me out in my patrol car after shift hours, she will complain and demand to know what justification I had to be driving it, so I always have to have written documentation to everything I do in case she complains and I need proof. It’s been going on for eight years now. The administration is afraid of her and so my complaints fall on deaf ears because she is so threatening to them.

I am on medical leave recovering from hysterectomy surgery but had to go testify on an important court case after the first two weeks, so I did. Someone told her they saw me out so she complained once again that I needed to be back at work, that I must be feeling alright even though my doctor strictly told me 6 weeks off work. Now I am having to get the doctor to put the restrictions in writing so I do not get wrote up. Now I feel I don’t even have the right to get out of my house without her trying to get me in trouble for getting something at the grocery store. Is there any law in Alabama that would help me end this harrassment?

The law you are looking for exists, but it is a federal, not a state law.

This is probably a hostile work environment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and sex.

As this question shows, it is perfectly possible for a female supervisor to subject a female employee to harassment or illegal discrimination based on her sex. Simply enforcing the rules more strictly for a female worker than for male workers is a hostile work environment.

You are doing the right thing to document every move you make. You need to choose your battles carefully.

Many women are unable to work, or even drive, for 6 to 8 weeks after a hysterectomy. As long as you have medical certification from your doctor, you should not fear the supervisor. In fact, trying to make you return to work early might well be part of the hostile work environment, if males on disability are treated differently.

The best bet would be to wait until you return to work. Then, identify one or more objective areas where the supervisor is treating you differently than your male coworkers. Maybe she writes you up if you are 10 minutes late, but doesn’t write up a male officer who is 25 minutes late.

Document this as often as possible, and then take it to the appropriate authority. That may be your union, it may be the HR department or the sergeant’s supervisor. Make it clear that you believe you are the victim of a hostile work environment based on your sex and you are filing a formal complaint, not just whining.

The more documentation you have, the better your case will be.

In order for a hostile work environment to exist, the employer must be informed of it by the victim, and not take action to correct it. Hopefully, once you present your evidence, they will recognize that this supervisor is creating a hostile work environment for you, and take steps to stop it.

If the problem continues, the next step would be to take it to the EEOC or a similar agency.