Gay cop alleges he was suspended for documenting years of harrassment by supervisor

A New Jersey detective says he was sexually assaulted by a supervisor amid years of anti-gay harassment.

Last week, Russell Kingsland, a detective with the state’s Division of Criminal Justice, filed a notice of tort claim, a formal written notice of allegations required in New Jersey before a lawsuit can be filed against public agencies, NJ.com reports. In the document, he claims that his suspension last year came after internal affairs learned he had been documenting instances of harassment, including the alleged assault, dating back to late 2022.

Kingsland reportedly began working as a detective for the state Attorney General’s Office in 2016. In November 2022, Kingsland alleges that two of his supervisors questioned him over rumors about his sexuality, leading him to come out to coworkers and family. The notice cites invasive questions from the two supervisors, including one asking Kingsland, “Do you find me attractive?”

Kingsland claims that the following January, one of his supervisors sexually assaulted him at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton, New Jersey. The supervisor allegedly approached Kingsland from behind, pressing his body against Kingsland’s, groping him, and asking, “Are you getting an erection?”

Kingsland claims he immediately reported the assault to the deputy attorney general, who advised him to contact the police or internal affairs. According to the notice, Kingsland did neither, fearing “further exposure of his sexuality and retaliation.” But Kingsland’s attorney, Patrick Toscano, told NJ.com that the deputy attorney general violated both state and federal whistleblower laws by failing to report Kingsland’s allegations.

Kingsland claims the harassment continued for years. He said at one point, the same supervisor who allegedly assaulted him screamed anti-gay slurs at him at a firing range, blocking his exit while wearing a firearm. At that point, Kingsland says he began documenting the alleged harassment and retaliation. He claims that throughout 2023 and 2024 he was excluded from meetings, undercover operations, radio communications, casework, and other activities.

In mid-2024, executive staff denied Kingsland’s request for a transfer after he described the alleged harassment, which he said continued even after he submitted a formal complaint to internal affairs the following August.

Last May, Kingsland was removed from duty. While internal affairs described this as “a reassignment,” Toscano says it was, in fact, a suspension resulting from Kingsland’s documentation of the alleged harassment.

“He was documenting so he could submit [the alleged incidents] up the chain of command,” Toscano told NJ.com. “As soon as he started doing that, and they saw it, that’s when they suspended him.”

According to Toscano, Kingsland has been on suspension for more than a year, and the Division of Criminal Justice is seeking his termination.

In his notice of tort claim, Kingsland says the alleged harassment has resulted in “severe psychological trauma” and has compounded his substance use disorder. He says a doctor has recommended that he not return to work as a police officer.

“I have been diagnosed with PTSD and other mental disorders from the treatment and harassment done by the Attorney General’s Office,” Kingsland says.

As a result, Kingsland intends to seek $1.5 million in damages.

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Originally published here.