DECATUR, Ala. (WAFF) – A former police detective is suing her former supervisors, the city, and even the Mayor.
She claims she had to work in a hostile work environment, dealt with retaliation, and *discrimination as the only black, female detective on the force.
Rosslon Jowers never thought that just a few years after being sworn in as a new Decatur Police Officer in 2016, she would be suing those she once served with.
“I went into the job because I love, love, love working for those that the system is against,” said Jowers.
She claims that as she rose through the ranks to become the first black female detective ever in the department, the system quickly turned against her.
In her newly filed federal lawsuit, she claims her aspirations of becoming the next Police Chief made her a target among colleagues.
“The criteria changed to where you needed at least 10 years of experience and a bachelor’s degree, and that is what a lot of them did not have, and I came in with a master’s and 10 years of experience,” explained Jowers.
The lawsuit alleged her direct supervisors conspired to make sure she remained “in her place” with reprimands of false allegations and complaints.
“I was under constant scrutiny, constant investigation over the most minute things that the average officer would never have to be placed under investigation for,” said Jowers.
The lawsuit claims she was accused of cursing at someone in public, and she received a “below expectations” evaluation, accusing her of not investigating cases thoroughly.
The lawsuit alleges she was subjected to a hostile work environment, retaliation, and racial and gender discrimination. Jowers claims a majority of baseless complaints came from Former Police Chief Todd Pinion, who was serving as the Lieutenant of Professional Standards at the time.
She claims that when she brought issues to Human Resources, no action was taken to help her.
“She was somewhat of a unicorn, she stood out in the room, being an African American woman in law enforcement, and it’s a boys club, mostly white males, a boys club with the Decatur police department. I think that maybe led to a culture of cronyism and individuals thinking that based on popularity and seniority in terms of time with the department, that they were entitled to certain positions,” said Birmingham-based Civil Rights Attorney, Richard Rice.
When Jowers was terminated in 2022, she was allowed to look at her personnel file, but she couldn’t find any documentation of all the complaints, warnings, or performance issues cited as the reason for her firing.
“To look within that file, to see everything that was reduced to writing, there were no documents to back it up, and you have cost me everything I worked so hard for,” said Jowers.
“In this situation, it’s almost as if bad behavior is being rewarded within the city of Decatur’s police department, whereas someone who is acting with professionalism and integrity, trying to do things the right way, becomes the odd person out and becomes a target of retaliatory action,” added Rice.
“Everybody is going to believe what they would like to believe; however, the evidence speaks for itself. If it wasn’t about race, then what was it about, and let’s bring it to the forefront.”
The attorney is asking for this case to go before a jury.
A spokesperson for the City of Decatur issued this statement to 48 News: “The City of Decatur is aware of the complaint filed and can confirm that the involved city parties have been notified. As a matter of policy, the City does not comment on pending legal matters or allegations made through litigation.”
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