Top female officer sues Iowa for gender bias, retaliation

By RYAN J. FOLEY
Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A top-ranking female Iowa law enforcement officer is suing the state police department, saying she’s faced years of retaliation after reporting misspending and gender discrimination. Charis Paulson alleges that she’s the only director with the Iowa Department of Public Safety to work in a cubicle and not a private office, to not have an assigned parking spot, to be excluded from director meetings, and to report to someone with a lower rank. Paulson became the first woman to lead the Division of Criminal Investigation in 2012 and in recent years has served in department administrative roles. She filed a lawsuit this week alleging that she’s faced retaliation since reporting misspending and disparate treatment in 2016.