Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
The city of Shawano is defending itself and its police chief against two sex discrimination suits, but at least one of the complaints inspired a sensitivity training session earlier this year.
City Administrator Brian Knapp said all city department heads, including Kohl, participated in a training session that dealt with “perceptions and sensibilities.”
Knapp said he couldn’t recall the exact date, but said it was held in May or June.
That would have been after Police Department employee Laura Chartraw filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing Kohl of sexual discrimination.
The EEOC found no evidence of wrongdoing in a conclusion rendered in March.
Knapp said he felt the training session “was something all of us can benefit from.”
However, he did link it to the complaint against Kohl.
“There was a correlation,” he said.
He said the city was “re-initiating” training and awareness programs in the wake of the EEOC complaint.
Knapp said there are comments that could be taken “in a way we don’t anticipate,” and said the training session was intended to help city employees to be more cognizant of that.
Chartraw subsequently filed a civil suit in federal court, naming Kohl and the city as defendants.
Police Officer NiCole Hoffmann filed suit against Kohl in May alleging sex discrimination for bypassing her and hiring a lower-ranked male applicant for a police officer vacancy in July 2014.
Kohl subsequently hired Hoffmann in January 2015, but her suit seeks damages for loss of past and future income.
The city is not named as a defendant in the Hoffmann case, but is covering the cost of defending both cases through its liability insurance.
Knapp said that’s because the Hoffmann suit alleges behavior by Kohl that was conducted in his capacity as a city employee.
There have been no changes to Kohl’s duties or responsibilities while the lawsuits are pending.
“The chief is responsible for managing the department,” he said.