City: No action on harassment claim

        y LAURA ROADY

Staff writer

BONNERS FERRY — The Bonners Ferry Police Department is taking no action after reviewing the Attorney General’s investigation into a tort claim filed by officer Tiffany Murray.

The Attorney General’s office investigated Murray’s sexual harassment allegations regarding the Bonners Ferry Police Department and city government.

She filed a tort claim on Aug. 6, 2013 alleging a hostile work environment resulted in her being subjected to quid pro quo sexual harassment.

Former Police Chief Steve Benkula requested that AG’s office investigation focus primarily on the sexual harassment allegations directed at Joel Minor, the former deputy chief of police, according to the report.

The investigation included numerous interviews and polygraph exams.

For background, Benkula provided copies of an investigation by Mark Lockwood, the former Sandpoint police chief.

Lockwood investigated allegations that Minor and Murray solicited individuals to complain to the Bonners Ferry Police Department about sergeant John Lunde, according to the report.

Murray’s polygraph examination was within the “deception indicated” range of responses, according to the report.

The report indicated that when administering polygraph examinations to victims of sexual abuse, deceptive responses may be indicated but in actuality the response is a manifestation of the victim reliving the sexual event.

The report stated that Minor was truthful when he gave the answers to relevant questions and his results were within the “no deception indicated” range of responses.

The AG’s summary stated Murray made allegations against Minor but was not able to reference the alleged acts with the context of time or location, but Minor reported a specific act with the context of location.

Both Minor and Murray had received and signed the city’s personnel policy which addresses sexual harassment and the responsibility of all employees whether they are a witness to or a victim of sexual harassment, according to the report.

It also indicated Murray told no one, other than her husband, about her complaints and that she expressed if she had complained about Minor’s harassment, her job would have been in jeopardy. However, the personnel policy gives the victim of sexual harassment additional reporting options, according to the report.

Given the nature of the report there are not a lot of options to explore, according to city attorney Andrakay Pluid.

The report contains a lot of “he said, she said” statements and Minor resigned before the report was completed, resulting in the city taking no action, said Pluid.