HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977 04-20 Woman cop was target of discrimination - judge ST. PAUL DISPATCH 4 c St.Paul Dispatch Wed.,April 20,1977
Woman cop was target
of discrimination judge
By J.C.WOLFE charge with the Minnesota Human ber of the department prior to for-
Staff Writer Rights Commission. mation of the city's Police Civil
Ramsey District Judge James According to the court order, Service Commission she was
M.Lynch ruled today that Maple- the officer's pay since that date lonnwithother into the force
wood's only woman police officer has ranged from$742 a month to along with other memberst in 1962
has been discriminated against its present $865.30 per month. and was not required to take any
because of her sex and he award- During the same period the base physical tests.
ed her$17,827 in back pay and in- pay of a patrolman has ranged She has not been assigned to
terest for nearly four years. from$1,030 to its present$1,400. any high risk police tasks nor has
Lynch found that officer Patri- While Maplewood sought to per- she been required to work on a
cia Y.Ferrazzo,who has been on tray officer Ferrazzo as some- assignment tation basis because her
the Maplewood force since 1960, thing of a clerk-typist rather than includesaspecific ons
has served in a capacity ice functions ra well as servingsttas
p y equal to a police officer, Judge Lynch an administrative assistant to
that of a patrolman but has not found she had been required to Chief Richard Schaller.
been paid at the salary rate for perform police work,particularly
that position. in regard to contacts with women Lynch further found that al-
andDUE TO THE of children,that she has partici- though the Civil Service Commis-
however,STATUTEcefr pated in investigations and that sion ruled in March,1975,that of-
limitations,liitclaim was restricted she is required to wear a uniform ficer Ferrazzo was entitled to be
si e July 7, 1973,to and badge and to qualify with a paid as a police officer that deci-
thetwhichperiod two years prior to the firearm. sion never was implemented by
date she filed a discrimination BECAUSE SHE WAS A mem- Maplewood City Manager Michael
G.Miller.
•
IN ADDITION TO the back
pay,the court also ordered Maple-
wood to pay the officer$4,645 in
fees for her attorney, Judith L.
Oakes.
Officer Ferrazzo,who is 50,has
five children and lives at 1446 E.
Laurie Road, she said today she
does not know yet if the court's
decision will have any effect on
her future duties in the depart-
ment.