Frankfort Police Department Discriminated Against Pregnant Cop: Lawsuit

FRANKFORT, IL — A Frankfort police officer is accusing the department of not accommodating her during her pregnancy and forcing her to take materinty leave earlier than she wanted. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Village of Frankfort on Monday on behalf of Officer Jennifer Panattoni, a 14-year veteran of the Frankfort Police Department, the Daily Southtown reports. She's asking for damages from emotional stress, lost pay from taking leave early and a change department guidelines concerning pregnancy and childbirth, the report added.

In her lawsuit, Panattoni, 37, who lives in Manhattan, contends that the department refused to give her a uniform and gear that would accomodate her pregnancy and allow her to work as a police officer, the report stated. She broached the subject of accommodating her pregnancy with Chief John Burica on January of 2016, but she claims in the lawsuit that the chief wouldn't discuss the matter, saying he didn't want to set a precedent by changing duties for a pregnant officer, the report added.

According to the lawsuit, Panattoni was denied extenders that would allow her to comfortably wear her protective body armor vest, and she was not allowed to carry equipment — such as a radio, Taser and pepper spray — in her vest pockets in order to reduce the pressure on her pregnant stomach from her heavy utility belt, the report stated. After requesting a maternity unifrom, Panattoni was given a single pair of non-maternity pants and two men's shirt that didn't fit her, the report added. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Frankfort. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

"My bulletproof vest, it was so small that it wouldn't cover my belly, it wouldn't stay closed," Panattoni told the Southtown. "I got to feeling that just due to my equipment by itself that I wasn't safe, especially being pregnant."

Panattoni also claims Burica told her she had to take maternity leave if she couldn't do her job, the report stated. She then involuntarily went on leave when she was five months pregnant, a move that provided her with half of her pay and forced her to use money from her disability pension, the report added. In July, Panattoni filed a discrimination complaint against the department with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to the Southtown.

Frankfort officials would not comment specifics of the lawsuit, but Village Administrator Rob Piscia told the Southtown in a written statement that the village has followed the guidelines in the police department's collective bargaining agreement and state and federal equal employment opportunity laws.

"The Village of Frankfort and the Frankfort Police Department are strongly committed to a discrimination-free workplace and to providing reasonable accommodations to employees who need them to perform their jobs," he said.

Panattoni gave birth to her son, Nathan, in August of 2016. She returned to work in October of 2016 and has recently begun fertility treatments to have more children, the Southtown reports.

More via the Daily Southtown

Image via Frankfort Police Department | Village of Frankfort

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