By Christy Mckerney, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
SUNRISE -- A police officer says his supervisors at the Sunrise Police Department retaliated against him after he complained of discrimination because he is Jewish.
Sunrise Police Officer Eric Goldstein filed a lawsuit in federal court Dec. 30 against the city, police chief and two supervisors, seeking lost wages, attorney fees and other damages.
“The idea that a person or individual cannot complain without retribution ... has got to stop,” said Goldstein’s attorney, Scott Fistel of Fort Lauderdale.
Police Chief David Boyett said he had not seen the lawsuit yet.
City Attorney Kim Register could not be reached for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Goldstein went from receiving above-average evaluations and being awarded Officer of the Year for 1999 to being investigated, removed from the SWAT team, taken off his beat at Sawgrass Mills outlet mall and denied a spot in the detective bureau.
He was questioned about bringing an MP5 machine gun and 9mm handgun while serving a high-risk search warrant.
Goldstein on Feb. 12, 2002, sent the police chief a copy of a draft discrimination complaint he’d written to the Florida Commission on Human Relations but never filed.
He drafted the complaint after resigning from the vice unit and being taken off the SWAT team. His supervisor, about whom he’d filed the complaint, subsequently accused him of violating policy, conduct unbecoming an officer and giving false testimony, according to court documents. When Goldstein went to withdraw the complaint June 14, 2002, the city continued to investigate.
Goldstein has since been reinstated to the SWAT team.