Tacoma police leader ‘feared coming forward’ about ex-Deputy Chief Paul Junger
Months before Tacoma Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Junger was fired in March, public records show another member of the police leadership team reported that Junger had harassed her and eroded her confidence in her longevity with the department.
Assistant Chief Crystal Young-Haskins made the report to former Police Chief Avery Moore Oct. 24 and then informed the director of the City of Tacoma’s Human Resources department in an email about a month later, claiming Junger had created a hostile work environment and subjected her to unlawful harassment.
Young-Haskins, who identified herself in the Nov. 12 email as a 43-year-old Black woman, said she believed she was subjected to the harassment because of her inclusion in a protected class and that the “unwelcome” environment altered her work conditions substantially.
“It eroded confidence in my longevity with the department/city and my emotional/mental well‐being,” Young-Haskins wrote in the email. “This added unnecessary stress has also impacted my overall quality of life and to a certain extent the overall morale of the department.”
Young-Haskins said the hostile work environment began shortly after she was hired by the Police Department in fall 2022 (she was sworn into her position in July that year). She said she wanted to be afforded protection under a whistle blowers policy.
“I feared coming forward out of being a team player and a honest desire to just do my job to the best of my ability,” Young-Haskins said.
Young-Haskins said Junger’s harassment included unequal treatment for using leave and in the frequency of one-on-one meetings, retaliatory annual performance evaluations, invasion of privacy in her workspace and negating her seniority to undermine her authority and discredit her reputation.
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The email was provided to The News Tribune in response to a public records request with the City of Tacoma. Young-Haskins’ name was redacted from the email, but the fact that it originated from her was corroborated by a photo shared with The News Tribune last year. Also included on the email were former Police Chief Moore and Tacoma Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Wilsie.
Through a Police Department spokesperson, Young-Haskins declined to comment for this story Wednesday.
Efforts to reach Junger for comment Wednesday were not immediately successful. His LinkedIn profile says he is retired.
Her email sheds light on a murky equal employment opportunity investigation in Junger’s behavior. The City of Tacoma has continued to decline to elaborate on exactly what the investigation entailed. Officer Shelbie Boyd, a spokesperson for the Police Department, has said all information would have to go through the public-disclosure request system.
The email also lines up with the timeline of when Junger was placed on paid administrative leave for three weeks last year. Junger was placed on leave Oct. 24, the same day Young-Haskins said she reported Junger’s harassment to Moore. Junger returned to work Nov. 13, a day after Young-Haskins emailed the Human Resources department. At the time, a police spokesperson said there wasn’t sufficient information to warrant keeping Junger on leave.
When Junger, 55, was fired from his position as the Police Department’s second in command March 31, Police Chief Patti Jackson said it was due to sustained findings in the investigation but did not explain what those findings were.
An agency report held by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, first reported by KING 5, shows that an outside law firm was retained to investigate allegations of gender, race and age discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation regarding Junger.
Allegations of gender discrimination and the creation of a hostile work environment were sustained, according to the agency report. The claim of race discrimination was not sustained, and claims of age discrimination and retaliation were determined to be unfounded.
The News Tribune requested a copy of the investigative file related to the investigation from the City of Tacoma on March 31. As of Wednesday, the city was still locating and assembling materials.
Young-Haskins, who now leads the Investigations Bureau for the Police Department, came to Tacoma from Little Rock, Arkansas, where she began her law enforcement career in 2006. She was appointed interim chief of the Little Rock Police Department in May 2022, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The newspaper reported she resigned a month later to pursue a career opportunity outside the state.
At the time, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said Young-Haskins was an “exemplary” officer who had served the city with dignity, honor and professionalism for more than 16 years.
Young-Haskins’ email complaint about Junger listed eight witnesses who she said might have been treated similarly or who could attest to her allegations. According to the photo of the email shared with The News Tribune, one was the former chief of staff of the Police Department, Curtis Hairston.
Hairston received a $500,000 settlement from the City of Tacoma last month after he went to court over allegations that he experienced racial bias and discrimination in his 18 months with the Police Department before he resigned. His claims included allegations that Junger made racist comments to Hairston, which the city denied in a legal response.
