DELAND, Fla. — A former DeLand Police officer, who 9 Investigates exposed was fired just days after filing a complaint against her supervisor, is now suing the department.
Investigative Reporter Karla Ray first broke that story in July 2018. Allison Bainbridge’s complaint against her supervisor eventually led him to be demoted, but she was taken off the job days after filing the complaint.
Bainbridge raised a red flag after her body camera captured an incident involving Corporal Ken Ramkissoon. Ramkissoon is seen on the video berating and swearing at a homeless man who was sitting outside of a 7-Eleven.
Bainbridge’s lawsuit shows how days after she filed her complaint against Ramkissoon, Ramkissoon filed a different complaint against her. She was then relieved of duty during her probationary period, while he stayed on the force.
“I've been in law enforcement for eight years, and I've never been in an incident like this before,” Bainbridge told 9 Investigates in July 2018. “It shocked my conscience to see it.”
All along, DeLand officials have pointed to performance issues during Bainbridge’s probationary period as the reason for her dismissal. The lawsuit claims how Ramkissoon’s complaint against her was placed in Bainbridge’s personnel file without her knowledge and without her being given the opportunity to respond.
The lawsuit also shows that the first time Bainbridge learned about the complaint filed by Ramkissoon, was when 9 Investigates showed her a copy the day of our interview. The information was provided as part of a packet given to 9 Investigates by city leaders to show why Bainbridge was terminated.
“They didn't say anything about my performance until I filed this complaint,” Bainbridge said in July 2018.
There was one other letter of counseling in Bainbridge’s file. It was submitted in July, just days before her termination, but it was regarding an incident from April. Bainbridge was not aware the April incident would result in a letter of counseling until after she filed her complaint against Ramkissoon.
Attorney Brian Koji is representing the city of DeLand in this case, and he issued the following statement:
“As previously expressed by the City when Ms. Bainbridge first made these same allegations last July, the City’s decision to discharge her from her probationary employment was wholly unrelated to any allegations she made during her employment. Consistent with applicable legal standards, the City will not comment further on this matter while the lawsuit remains pending, but will vigorously defend against Ms. Bainbridge’s baseless allegations in the proper judicial forum.”
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