By Greta Stuckey
syracuse.com
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A former top-ranking Syracuse police officer filed a lawsuit Friday against the city and police officials, alleging gender and disability discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination.
Julie Shulsky, a former deputy chief who joined the Syracuse Police Department in 2006, alleges she was subjected to discriminatory treatment by male colleagues, denied a meaningful role in decisions affecting her bureau and retaliated against after complaining about her treatment.
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The lawsuit also alleges the city failed to accommodate her disability, post-traumatic stress disorder, and unlawfully terminated her employment.
Shulsky was the highest-ranking woman in the police department
The lawsuit follows a notice of claim Shulsky filed on March 6 , after she was placed on leave.
Shulsky is seeking reinstatement as deputy chief, lost wages and benefits, compensatory and punitive damages and attorney fees.
She is also asking the judge to order the city to:
- End discrimination in the department.
- Provide female employees with equal training, benefits and pay.
- Mandate training and educational programs for employees about discrimination and retaliation.
- Require annual reports “demonstrating efforts and success at compliance in providing a discrimination and retaliation-free workplace.”
The Syracuse Police Department is aware of the lawsuit and will not comment on personnel matters, according to Sgt. Thomas Blake, a department spokesperson. The matter will be addressed through the appropriate legal process, he said.
The lawsuit filed in Onondaga County Supreme Court lists the following defendants: Syracuse, Mayor Sharon Owens, former Police Chief Joseph Cecile, Police Chief Mark Rusin, First Deputy Chief Richard Trudell and other unnamed officials.
Shulsky was promoted to deputy chief in May 2022 after then-Mayor Ben Walsh and Cecile discussed her interest in the position, according to the lawsuit.
She joined the department in May 2006 and was promoted to sergeant in 2015, lieutenant in 2019 and captain in 2021 before her promotion to deputy chief. Her performance was satisfactory throughout her employment, and she had not engaged in conduct warranting discipline or termination, the lawsuit alleges.
Beginning in September 2022 , the lawsuit alleges Shulsky was frequently excluded from meetings attended by the chief and other male deputy chiefs. When invited, she was often notified at the last minute and was sometimes yelled at, spoken over or addressed in a condescending manner, the lawsuit charges.
The lawsuit also alleges department officials made decisions affecting Shulsky’s Support Services Bureau without consulting her. Those decisions included changes involving officer training, workspaces, the department’s equal employment opportunity complaint process, the on-call policy, officer wellness and portions of the overtime budget.
Shulsky repeatedly raised concerns about her treatment with department leaders, including Cecile and First Deputy Chief Richard Shoff , beginning in fall 2022, according to the lawsuit. She also told Assistant Corporation Counsel Amanda Harrington that she believed the treatment was motivated by her gender.
The lawsuit alleges the department took no corrective action.
Shulsky’s lawsuit also details her medical leave and attempts to return to work.
After two police officers were killed in Salina in April 2024, including an officer she had trained, Shulsky experienced significant distress.
As deputy chief in charge of the Support Services Bureau, Shulsky was responsible for coordinating funeral arrangements and overseeing the well-being of department personnel affected by the deaths which greatly affected her, the lawsuit said.
She was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the lawsuit. She began seeing a clinical psychologist in August 2024 .
Shulsky went on medical leave in February 2025 after her symptoms worsened. Her doctor cleared her to return to work in June 2025 , but the city required her to undergo an independent medical examination, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges the city delayed her return to work and that officials suggested she resign or risk losing her work-related injury benefits.
Shulsky believed she was a potential candidate for police chief. The lawsuit alleges Cecile, Rusin and Trudell delayed her return in part to prevent her from being considered for the position. The lawsuit says Owens initially agreed to meet with Shulsky about the police chief position but later stopped communicating with her.
“The city does not comment on personnel matters,” said Sol Muñoz, a spokesperson for the City of Syracuse. “We will address this matter through the appropriate legal process.”
Owens previously told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that Shulsky was not under consideration to become chief. She said in a statement her only candidate was Rusin.
In January 2026 , Shulsky was required to surrender her police equipment in person in front of colleagues and subordinates, an experience she describes in the lawsuit as humiliating.
The second doctor, who the city required she see, later cleared her for light-duty work effective Jan. 28, 2026, but Shulsky was not notified of that decision until Feb. 17, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges the department continued to prevent her from returning to work even after her doctor clarified her restrictions and the department’s human resources office provided a light-duty form for her doctor to complete.
On Feb. 26 , Rusin informed Shulsky that she was being placed on administrative leave after the department received a complaint from an unnamed subordinate alleging Shulsky created a hostile work environment, according to the lawsuit.
Shulsky was later required to participate in an interview with Deputy Mayor Corey Driscoll on Aug. 12, the lawsuit says. Although she believed the interview would focus on the workplace complaint against her, she alleges she was instead questioned about her job duties, her contacts with a work friend and her husband’s contact with that person.
The lawsuit said the city did not allow her to have a representative present during the questioning, despite what she describes as protections under state civil service law and department rules.
Shulsky alleges the city terminated her employment in a certified letter sent Sept. 30 while she was out of town. She received the letter Oct. 8 . It was signed by Rusin but did not indicate that the mayor had authorized the termination, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit argues that Shulsky’s employment contract limits the circumstances in which she can be terminated and provides that only the mayor can authorize her firing. It alleges the city violated the contract and denied Shulsky due process by terminating her without notice or an opportunity to be heard.
The lawsuit alleges the department announced her termination in an internal memorandum sent to employees before she received the letter.
The lawsuit does not seek a specific amount of money.
Shulsky previously made a base salary of $196,000 a year.
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