Lewiston, police, women resolve gender bias suit

LEWISTON – Police Chief William Welch and the city have reached a settlement with two women who filed a lawsuit accusing the police department of gender discrimination, parties to the case announced Thursday.

Carol Perkins and Michele Swift alleged in U.S. District Court that Welch’s department belittled efforts to curb domestic violence and caused their transfer from assignments at the police station. The women sought unspecified damages.

Terms of the agreement were not released, but the city said the settlement was not paid for out of taxpayer money.

The Maine Municipal Association Property and Casualty Pool, a self-insured group of municipalities, negotiated on behalf of Welch and the city.

Perkins and Swift had charged that Welch grabbed their throats and pretended to strangle them while they were posing for a group picture at a 1999 community policing conference in Rockport. Welch said he was only joking and later apologized.

After the incident, both women were transferred to different jobs within the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project.

In announcing the settlement, Welch affirmed the department’s commitment to fighting domestic violence.