NCCo requests $1.7M to settle police department sex-discrimination suit


New Castle County appears ready to settle a federal lawsuit claiming decades of sexual harassment and cover-ups in its police department, largely by an officer who rose to the agency’s second-highest rank. 

County Council is scheduled to vote on a pair of proposals Tuesday night asking to dip into the county’s tax reserve to cover legal fees to the tune of more than $3 million. Part of that is to secure up to $1.7 million to “partially fund” the settling of this lawsuit that claims various members of the county allowed now-retired Lt. Col. Quinton Watson to continue his sexual harassment and abuse.

The county has spent more than $1.2 million in legal fees since the lawsuit was filed, according to the proposal.

A country spokesman declined to comment until after the meeting.

The council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. It’s unclear what the terms of the settlement would be, as the only public indication of it exists in proposals from county council.



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