Wheaton cop in lawsuit: My age, gender got me demoted

A veteran Wheaton police officer has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit claiming she was passed over for promotions and demoted because of her age and gender.

Jill Uhlir, a 19-year employee, claims she was denied promotions to the rank of sergeant despite having more seniority and experience than the younger male officers awarded the positions. The 17-page complaint also paints a picture of a male-dominated department that subjected Uhlir and other women on the force to sexist and offensive comments.

Uhlir first filed a discrimination complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April 2017.

A city spokesman responded to the lawsuit with a statement Tuesday saying the commission determined in February that "based upon the allegations of Officer Uhlir and the city's response of these allegations, that they were unable to conclude that there was a violation of the discrimination statutes." The commission also issued Uhlir a "right-to-sue" notice.

"The city will defend this case as it defended the matter in the EEOC," spokeswoman Arin Thrower said in an email.

In the suit filed Monday in Chicago, Uhlir singled out two supervisors, both lieutenants identified by last name, for a "pattern of discriminatory conduct." The city spokeswoman said Lt. William Cooley and Lt. Thomas Heidank are both serving in their normal capacities.

The suit alleges that when Uhlir was a probationary sergeant, Cooley drove to her house while on duty and took a picture "pretending to defecate in her family pool."

Uhlir, who had passed the sergeant's test three times, began the yearlong probationary period required for the post in early 2016. She claimed she was intentionally assigned to her least-desired shift and supervised more than 11,000 calls while her male counterpart handled fewer than 4,500.

Uhlir also accused the two lieutenants of reporting deficiencies in her performance "based on inaccurate or false information that is specifically disputable from the police reports and dispatch tapes."

In one of several cited instances, Uhlir was faulted for failing to request mutual aid, but police records show she requested the response of several additional officers from a neighboring jurisdiction, the suit states.

Uhlir alleged she was unfairly evaluated and eventually demoted to the rank of patrol officer in December 2016. She still holds that position, her attorney confirmed in an email.

After the demotion - Uhlir was 45 at the time - two male patrol officers younger than 30 were named probationary sergeants. One of the newly promoted sergeants, who was not identified, had recently been reprimanded for recklessly discharging his weapon in the police station parking lot toward the direction of another police officer, according to the suit.

Male officers routinely made derogatory, gender-based and ageist comments during roll call, including "the new squad cars should have wheelchair lifts" and "she looks like a kielbasa in those pants," the suit alleges. The department also allowed male officers to leave "magazines with half-dressed and semi-naked women" in common areas of the station, the lawsuit alleges.

Uhlir is seeking unspecified damages and lost wages she argues she would have received had she been promoted to sergeant.