Local cop says lower providence police dept. was a sexist hellhole

Everybody was all smiles in February 2022 when a judge swore Brooke Spence in as the newest member of Montgomery County’s Lower Providence Police Department. But those smiles quickly disappeared once Spence discovered the culture of the department, according to allegations set forth by Spence in a federal lawsuit she just filed against the department.

Brook Spence, a Bridgeport resident, alleges that fellow police officer Matthew Barber made numerous sexual, sexist, and otherwise offensive comments to her. Among the comments he allegedly made: that women shouldn’t be cops; that his wife was a “bitch” because she wouldn’t have sex with him in the family minivan; that a woman who reported that she had been raped probably had not been raped and just liked rough sex; that Spence was “fat”; and that when a woman had a miscarriage, it was likely her fault.

The suit claims that police officer Robert Heim also made discriminatory remarks, including asking her if she was single or whether her “baby daddy” was living with her, asking whether he paid child support, and stating that women should stay home with their children.

Spence alleges that unspecified male employees in the department made inappropriate comments about women’s bodies and women’s rights in the context of a discussion about Roe v. Wade and that police officer James Crawford complained that men “had no rights” regarding abortion and that men should be able to force women to keep their baby.

According to the suit, many of these comments were made in front of Lower Providence police chief Michael Jackson as well as others in authority but no one did anything to stop the alleged behavior.

Spence says that when she complained about how she was being treated to her superiors, she received retaliation instead of help and that the department eventually fired her because she was “not a good fit” and “it’s just not working.”

Spence is seeking unspecified damages. Chief Jackson did not return a call seeking comment.

This article was sourced from Phillymag.com

Local Cop Claims Lower Providence Police Department Was a Sexist Hellhole  was originally published on rnbphilly.com