Sgt. Melissa Russell filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on June 21, 2024, alleging gender discrimination, harassment, and retaliation within the Skokie Police Department. She claimed to have been passed over for promotion to commander eight times since December 2017, despite receiving the department’s highest performance evaluations. Russell also alleged that male officers were not disciplined for similar actions for which she was reprimanded, and that she was forced to use vacation days instead of sick days for medical treatments related to on-duty injuries. The lawsuit named former Chief Brian Baker, current Chief Jesse Barnes, and Commander Timothy Gramins as defendants. The case was scheduled for an initial status hearing on September 10, 2024. ([patch.com](https://patch.com/illinois/skokie/skokie-police-sergeant-sues-over-sexism-department?utm_source=openai))
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