Former officer proposes settlement that includes changes at APD

City Council last week approved a payment of up to $293,000 to a law firm to defend the city against claims of discrimination and harassment at the Austin Police Department. The total contract amount for Schmoyer Reinhard LLP could be $367,000 for services related to Samantha Liedtke v. City of Austin. Liedtke is a former Austin police officer. The city has already spent $74,000 on this lawsuit.

Council rarely comments on pending lawsuits or the contracts to pay for them. However, Council members Mackenzie Kelly and Vanessa Fuentes and Mayor Kirk Watson all had something to say before voting to increase the contract.

Kelly said, “I really believe, after reflection, that it is important that Council is made aware of any updates related to this case ongoing so that we can ensure that we understand what’s going on and can move forward in the way that we need to, because I want to make sure that the outcome is one that we are aware of and fully and completely understand.” Fuentes noted that she was surprised to be in agreement with Kelly. She too urged staff to keep Council informed about developments related to the lawsuit.

Watson, himself a lawyer, said he agreed with his colleagues. He concluded, “I think it’s important (and) I want to highlight what the two Council members just said. I think it’s going to be very important that the Council receive routine and frequent updates on the status of this case.” Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison was absent, and Council Member Alison Alter was off the dais. Otherwise, the motion to approve the contract passed unanimously.

In her lawsuit against the city, Liedtke alleges that she was the subject of discrimination and retaliation by her fellow officers, particularly as related to her attempts to help victims of sexual assault. According to the suit, Liedtke’s “male colleagues and supervisors discriminated against her,” harassed her and subjected her to “a hostile work environment, and retaliation.” Those actions resulted in “humiliation, degradation, emotional distress, (and) other consequential damages including lost wages and loss of earning capacity.”

However, what Liedtke wants out of the suit is not the money she could receive as a winner in court but changes she believes are necessary to improve the department and its relationship with citizens. Prior to becoming an officer, Liedtke worked in social services. In a letter she wrote last November, Liedtke describes some changes she thought would be necessary to help fix what ails the department. She highly recommended officers receive mandatory training in jujitsu, a type of Japanese martial arts that uses no weapons. She said jujitsu training would benefit the department in that “negative beliefs and statements about female police will no longer have grounds to stand on.” In addition, she said use of jiujitsu would make interactions between the public and the police safer.

In addition, Liedtke said it was very important for officers to receive the SAFE advocate’s sexual assault training. There is no indication that APD was open to these ideas.

Having filed the lawsuit and urged APD to change its behavior, Liedtke’s attorneys last week sent a letter to the city’s lawyers urging a settlement. Liedtke, who is now a deputy constable, would accept the amount the city has set aside for the outside law firm: $367,000. In addition, the settlement would require APD to train all the officers in the SAFE Alliance’s sexual assault victims’ advocate curriculum and institute accountability measures related to racial profiling. In addition, the settlement would require changes to how patrol officers are dispatched and require all officers to be trained in jujitsu de-escalation training. Liedtke also wants APD to agree to eradicate hazing and intimidation at the police academy.

The firm Holt Major Lackey and attorney Rebecca Webber represent Liedtke. The lawyers note in their letter that the offer will expire on Sept. 13. Council had an executive session prior to the vote and presumably they were informed about the offer. The letter notes that if the city does not accept this offer, Liedtke will continue with her lawsuit for $1.45 million.

Several members of the public, including Kathy Mitchell of Equity Action and Chris Harris of the Austin Justice Coalition, urged Council to postpone action on the legal contract.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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