A new lawsuit was filed against the Sitka Police Department last week (10-5-23). It’s the fourth suit brought by a current or former employee in the last five years.
Officer Gary Cranford has worked for SPD for around nine years. He is being represented by the Northern Justice Project, an Anchorage civil rights law firm. The law firm previously represented former Sitka Police officers in whistleblower, sexual harassment and workplace harassment cases, all of which were settled out of court.
Cranford alleges that he was demoted in March from sergeant to officer, following allegations of inappropriate behavior from another officer and an administrative investigation. Cranford alleges that his demotion and the actions surrounding it constitute a violation of due process and breach of his union’s collective bargaining agreement. In his suit he’s asking to be reinstated in his sergeant role with damages and full attorney fees.
Gary Cranford is the father of Austin Cranford, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Sitka Assembly this year.
The city has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit in court, but did issue a statement to KCAW via email. Municipal Administrator John Leach wrote, “The City and Borough of Sitka acknowledges the lawsuit filed against the Sitka Police Department on October 5th, 2023. It is important to clarify that the allegations presented in this lawsuit are not based in fact. We firmly believe that the claims made in the lawsuit lack a factual basis and may have questionable motives. We want to assure the Sitka community and the public at large that we are fully committed to defending ourselves vigorously and on the merits of the case.”
Read the complaint filed by Cranford and the Northern Justice Project here
