San Diego police officer accuses SDPD of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation

A San Diego police officer has filed two complaints against the department, alleging she has been sexually harassed and discriminated against for years.

In documents Stephanie L. Cockrell filed with the San Diego Police Department and state Civil Rights Department, she contends conflicts over the break-up of her marriage, to fellow Officer Tyler Cockrell, led to harassment and retaliation in the workplace.

“Despite her exemplary record, Claimant has been subjected to repeated and ongoing sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation and a failure by the Department to provide protection from such misconduct,” her attorney alleges in the state complaint. “As a result, she has been forced to work in a hostile, intolerable, and unsafe environment.”

The state complaint was filed Wednesday and the city claim Sept. 5.

The documents shine a light on a series of personal entanglements – including a rumor involving Chief Scott Wahl that Cockrell says is untrue – that have prompted multiple allegations and three Internal Affairs investigations, the most recent in January.

Cockrell, according to the claims, informed the department in 2021 that her husband was having an affair with a fellow officer, identified only as “Deputy X,” in violation of department policy governing supervisor–subordinate relationships.

In the years since, Cockrell alleges a number of people have treated her unfairly, from her husband and Deputy X, to an unnamed lieutenant who also happened to be that woman’s uncle and a “long-time personal friend” of former police Chief David Nisleit.

She said in the claims that Nisleit recommended terminating her after one of the Internal Affairs probes, a decision that Wahl overturned once he took over as chief following Nisleit’s retirement.

According to Cockrell, however, she continued to be targeted. After Wahl’s decision, she experienced, she claims, “immediate sexist backlash” and rumors “spread like wildfire” accusing her of providing “sexual favors to Chief Wahl in exchange for leniency.”

Those rumors, she said, are “untrue.” Yet they reached the San Diego City Council in an anonymous letter and the public via what Cockrell characterized as a leak that ended up being shared on social media by an activist and police critic.

The “pervasive harassment has left Claimant in an environment,” her attorney wrote, “that is hostile, humiliating, and unsafe, forcing her to navigate a workplace poisoned by sexism, retaliation, and false accusations. The Department is aware of the treatment yet has failed to take any action to protect Claimant or punish the wrongdoers.”

Submitting a claim against the city is a preliminary step to file a lawsuit. The San Diego City Attorney’s Office, when contacted regarding Cockrell’s allegations said in an email, “We have no comment on pending litigation.”

The state Civil Rights Department, according to its website, “independently investigates and assesses the facts and legal issues” related to complaints. Investigations and assessments may include reviewing information and evidence from complainants, respondents, witnesses and other sources.