According to a filing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a former Montgomery police officer alleges that she faced discrimination for refusing to engage in an affair with Chief Darryl Albert.
In 2023, Rene Helton, with the legal representation of attorney Mickey McDermott, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Albert. The complaint alleged gender discrimination.
Chief of Staff for Mayor Steven Reed, Chip Hill, emphasized the need to refrain from jumping to conclusions until all the facts surrounding the pending litigation are revealed. In a statement to AL.com, Hill stressed the importance of waiting for a comprehensive understanding of the situation before forming any judgments.
Helton confided in Albert about the problems she was facing from September 2022 to March 2023, as per the EEOC complaint.
She encountered several problems during her time on the force, including conflicting guidance on using her patrol car to pick up her children from school and hostility from certain supervisors within the department.
According to the complaint, Albert placed Helton under a hostile supervisor after realizing that she would not enter into a physical or romantic relationship with him. This action was seen as punitive and was done without any discussion or agreement. Albert had previously promised to protect Helton from such situations.
According to the complaint, the department initiated termination proceedings against Helton in June 2023. This happened after she became the focus of a disciplinary investigation that was prompted by an anonymous complaint.
According to the accusations, Helton was supposedly using her patrol car to pick up her own children from school. The termination proceedings also included a claim of insubordination.
According to the complaint, Chief Albert had previously shown support for Helton in her dealings. However, when he realized that Helton did not want to engage in a sexual relationship with him due to his marriage, Chief Albert informed Helton about his intentions for retaliatory acts, which are now the basis of the discrimination charge.
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