Scoop: Philadelphia police inspector accused of sexual harassment sues city

A Philadelphia police inspector has sued the city and accused department officials of discriminating and retaliating against him over allegations of sexual harassment that internal probes dismissed.

The big picture: Inspector Anthony Washington is among a group of high-ranking police supervisors accused of sexual harassment between 2019 and 2020, per a new federal lawsuit he filed this month.

• But he asserts in the suit he's the only one who faced backlash when the allegations publicly surfaced despite them being unproven by internal affairs.

Why it matters: The Philadelphia Police Department has faced allegations of sexual harassment within its ranks for years.

• Some victims and advocates have alleged that officers accused of misconduct don't face consequences, and have even received promotions .
• The department has adopted measures in recent years to address the issue, including requiring new police academy graduates and officers who are promoted to receive sexual harassment and discrimination training.

Driving the news: Washington — who has been with the department for more than three decades and is currently assigned to the narcotics bureau — is seeking more than $150,000 over claims that the city violated his civil rights, per the lawsuit filed on June 19.

• Beyond the city, Washington is also suing deputy police commissioners Frank Vanore and Benjamin Naish.
• He alleges Vanore and Naish violated department policy by leaking confidential information about the complaints to the media to embarrass him, per the suit .

Zoom in: Some of the Philadelphia Inquirer's reporting on the accusations against Washington at the time relied on anonymous sources.

• But at least some of the allegations against Washington were made public in lawsuits filed over the last decade by officers who accused him of misconduct.
• Washington's lawsuit doesn't include the basis for the allegations that Vanore and Naish were behind the leaks, and Washington's lawyer Isaac Green declined to share any details with Axios.

The police department declined to make Vanore and Naish available for interviews and referred questions about the lawsuit to the city law department.

• The city didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment.

Catch up quick: Washington was promoted to supervisor of the special victims unit in 2018 — after he was accused of sexual harassment by at least four female police officers and a Temple University student, per the Inquirer .

• Police officials defended the move at the time, saying some of the allegations were old and none were proved by internal affairs.
• Months later, Washington was stripped of that role after advocates for sexual assault victims complained and another police inspector was indicted on charges of sexual assault, per the Inquirer.
• The city spent nearly $200,000 between 2011 and 2014 to settle five civil lawsuits brought against Washington over allegations of harassment, civil rights violations and physical abuse, per the Inquirer.

What they're saying: Washington, who is Black, faced "less favorable terms and conditions of employment than his white counterparts" after the allegations surfaced, per the lawsuit.

• The suit says other supervisors were never demoted nor reprimanded over allegations brought against them.
• But Washington alleges Vanore and Naish "shunned and excluded" him from meetings that he needed to attend to perform his duties.

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