Latest news with #Junger
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Tacoma ex-deputy police chief had ‘pattern of disrespect' to women, inquiry says
The Tacoma Police Department's former deputy chief, Paul Junger, wasn't fired for one egregious incident, an investigation report shows, but because of consistent demeaning behavior that created a hostile work environment for women. One instance, in which Junger downgraded a patrol officer's punishment for creating a meme that disrespected his commanding officer and three other women, was described as appearing to be part of a 'pattern of disrespect' to women. That pattern included belittling comments Junger made to Assistant Chief Crystal Young-Haskins, who brought a Human Resources complaint against him in November, weeks after she reported his behavior to former Police Chief Avery Moore. It also entailed questioning her judgment in front of her peers, interrupting her in meetings, not accepting her advice but taking it from men and undermining Young-Haskins by offering support to her in private but then withdrawing it in public. One witness said Junger's treatment was 'death by a thousand cuts.' Those are some of the findings outlined in a March 26 report authored by an attorney with the Seattle-based law firm Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC detailing an investigation into Junger's behavior in the workplace. The 21-page report was released to The News Tribune through a public records request with some redactions. It determined that allegations of a hostile work environment and gender discrimination were true. Interim Police Chief Patti Jackson chose to terminate Junger's employment March 31 based on the external investigation. 'The evidence provided by [redacted] and other witnesses was of numerous incidents, actions and comments, most of which if taken individually would be considered unpleasant, derogatory and/or inappropriate, but would not, taken alone, constitute a hostile work environment,' the report states. 'However, the events and actions must be considered together, to show the 'totality of the circumstances.'' Junger did not respond to a request for comment about the investigation Tuesday. The report notes that after he returned to work from administrative leave last year, he apologized to several people individually for the way he had treated them. 'Junger explained that his leadership style is building trust and relationships, and so after being placed on administrative leave he felt this was the appropriate way to try and rebuild relationships with individuals in the department,' the report states. The witnesses who spoke to the investigator about the apologies were all Black women, according to the report, and several described it as an 'apology tour.' Most thought it was too little, too late, but one said Junger's apology felt sincere. As deputy chief and the department's second in command, Junger was responsible for assisting in the overall direction of the department's internal operations. He reported to the chief of police, and the department's three assistant chiefs reported to him. According to The News Tribune's salary database, his total pay in 2023 was $272,455.60 Young-Haskins also did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Although it was Young-Haskins who filed a complaint with the city's HR department, the investigator described how multiple women were subjected to discriminatory behavior. According to the report, three women who left the Police Department tied their departures, in part, to how Junger treated them. 'A witness who left the department after 35 years told me that she was treated extremely disrespectfully and condescendingly by Junger, including an incident where he was angry about something she and AC [redacted] had done, and he approached them, pointing his finger and saying 'You. Down the hall. NOW.'' Young-Haskins now leads the Investigations Bureau for the Police Department. She came to Tacoma in summer 2022 from Little Rock, Arkansas, where she served as the city's interim police chief. Junger joined the Tacoma Police Department around the same time from the Dallas Police Department, where he worked with Moore. Young-Haskins complained of Junger's harassing behavior about two years after she began working in Tacoma, but her emailed report to HR said the hostile work environment began shortly after she was hired. She said she feared coming forward about Junger because she wanted to be a team player and of a desire to do her job to the best of her ability. Not all of Young-Haskins' allegations about Junger were substantiated by workplace investigation. The claim that Junger engaged in race discrimination was not sustained, and allegations of age discrimination and that he retaliated against Young-Haskins were deemed to be unfounded. The report said it was difficult to determine whether race played a factor in Junger's treatment of employees, noting that the treatment was directed toward a white woman as well as several Black women, but it wasn't directed toward all white women in the department. Instead, the treatment seemed directed toward women who reported directly to Junger, and it appeared more aligned with gender differences. One man interviewed for the investigation recalled a time when Junger referred to the women assistant chiefs as 'the girls' in a private meeting in 2024 where no women were present. A man also reported that Junger commented to him that one of the women assistant chiefs wasn't really sick when she called out of work for a sick day. Young-Haskins reported that Junger gave her unequal treatment for her use of leave. The investigation found examples of male employees receiving less scrutiny for leave requests, and it described one incident that escalated to Junger contacting a deputy city attorney. That incident appears to have prompted Young-Haskins to report Junger's behavior to the police chief. In October 2024, according to the report, Young-Haskins was scheduled to attend a conference that required her to travel from Seattle to Boston. Her leave request was for the dates of the conference, Oct. 18-22, but she didn't include time needed to travel to and from the conference, which required an extra day before it started and after it ended. Young-Haskins notified the person who was covering for her that she needed the extra time, and she sent a memo via email about the correct dates of her absence, which Junger received, according to the report. On Oct. 23, while Young-Haskins was on her flight out of Boston, Junger emailed and texted her to ask her if she would be attending the one-on-one meeting they had scheduled that day. Young-Haskins tried to respond to the text, but it didn't go through, according to the report, and she wasn't able to respond to him until her plane landed hours later. When Junger was interviewed about that for the investigation, he said he believed Young-Haskins was 'AWOL' or absent without leave. According to the report, he repeatedly questioned her about the absence and talked to the deputy city attorney assigned to the Police Department. Young-Haskins asserted that Junger was being unreasonable and treating her differently than her male counterparts. 'She noted that when Junger did not know where one of his team members were, he would ask around, but never implied or stated that the person was AWOL,' the report states. When Junger was interviewed, he said he relied on the dates in the leave request, and, when she was absent, he was concerned. The day after Young-Haskins got back from Boston, she reported to Moore that she felt Junger had created a hostile work environment and subjected her to unlawful harassment, according to her email to HR. An embarrassing image depicting a caricature of Young-Haskins and three other women in the department was another subject of Junger's investigation because of his decision to downgrade the punishment of the patrol officer who made it. The investigation doesn't show the meme or describe it in detail, but an internal investigation about it reportedly found it was offensive to women and constituted insubordination toward one of the women it depicted. 'The creator of the meme was unapologetic about it and stated the women deserved it,' according to the report. A bureau-level reprimand was recommended for the patrol officer, which stays on file for five years. Typically the decision of whether to discipline an officer and how severe that punishment should be is up to the police chief, but Moore was on leave when the investigation concluded. Junger was entitled to make the decision himself as acting chief in the meantime, and he decided to instead give the officer who created the meme an oral reprimand, which stays on file for one year instead of five. That outcome 'surprised and upset' two people interviewed for Junger's workplace investigation. One said Junger's actions indicated the department doesn't support women in leadership. Another said his actions were a 'slap in the face.' Junger said he believed the five-year reprimand was too harsh, and he considered the fact that the patrol officer didn't have any prior disciplinary matters. Junger also said the officer would have to take some form of training, which he felt was consistent with the department's progressive discipline policy.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How Heath Ledger Outacted 253 Others to Secure His Iconic "10 Things I Hate About You" Role
Heath Ledger 's breakout performance as Patrick Verona in the 1999 teen rom-com " 10 Things I Hate About You " is now mythic, yet the story behind his securing the role is as delightful as the performance itself. The Audition That Changed Everything Director Gil Junger recalled that Ledger was a new face at the time, and the casting process had been exhausting: he had already auditioned 253 actors for the role of Patrick Verona. Disney 's casting chief, Marcia Ross, had brought in Ledger as a favor to a respected agent, recalled Junger, with little hope that he would get it. But, the moment Ledger entered the room, he owned it completely. Junger remembered: Continue to video 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search Ads Search Now Undo "He took three steps into the room, and my thought was, 'If this f---er can read English, I'm going to cast him.'' Even before a word was spoken, Ledger's soulfulness led Junger to think that he had found his Patrick Verona. "He just had a magnetism unlike I've ever felt. It was undeniable. He just was so confident and loving and wanted to be the best he could be. He was just an incredible young man,' mentioned Junger. Live Events Ledger was only 17, with a rather older and more confident personality. Of Ledger's first day on set, the director spoke about his bohemian attire-Frye boots, torn olive green leather pants, a white leather belt, a wacky shirt, and a beanie-that only made him cooler and more authentic. Junger added, "He just had this magic where you could just put anything on him, maybe even paint it, and he'd be incredibly cool, because the kid you saw in the movie, that's who he was. He was just an incredible human." A Breakout Role Ledger's coming into stardom as the mysterious and charming Patrick Verona, hired to woo Julia Stiles' character Kat, was a career-defining role. The film's blend of humor, love story, and pop culture moments- like Ledger's bleacher drama in the high school- earned him a spot as a leading man in romance and set the stage for his future success in "A Knight's Tale," "Brokeback Mountain," and "The Dark Knight," for which he won a posthumous Oscar. Junger's fondness for Ledger was so immense that he would even go out of his way to ride to location with him, simply to be in his company. Now, as the director works on a spiritual follow-up to "10 Things I Hate About You," he's made it a point to avoid an outright sequel out of respect for Ledger's memory and what worked so beautifully in the original. Heath Ledger's casting wasn't a matter of reading lines-it was a matter of an instant, electric presence that separated him from a sea of other contenders.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tacoma police leader ‘feared coming forward' about ex-Deputy Chief Paul Junger
Months before Tacoma Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Junger was fired in March, public records show another member of the police leadership team reported that Junger had harassed her and eroded her confidence in her longevity with the department. Assistant Chief Crystal Young-Haskins made the report to former Police Chief Avery Moore Oct. 24 and then informed the director of the City of Tacoma's Human Resources department in an email about a month later, claiming Junger had created a hostile work environment and subjected her to unlawful harassment. Young-Haskins, who identified herself in the Nov. 12 email as a 43-year-old Black woman, said she believed she was subjected to the harassment because of her inclusion in a protected class and that the 'unwelcome' environment altered her work conditions substantially. 'It eroded confidence in my longevity with the department/city and my emotional/mental well‐being,' Young-Haskins wrote in the email. 'This added unnecessary stress has also impacted my overall quality of life and to a certain extent the overall morale of the department.' Young-Haskins said the hostile work environment began shortly after she was hired by the Police Department in fall 2022 (she was sworn into her position in July that year). She said she wanted to be afforded protection under a whistle blowers policy. 'I feared coming forward out of being a team player and a honest desire to just do my job to the best of my ability,' Young-Haskins said. Young-Haskins said Junger's harassment included unequal treatment for using leave and in the frequency of one-on-one meetings, retaliatory annual performance evaluations, invasion of privacy in her workspace and negating her seniority to undermine her authority and discredit her reputation. The email was provided to The News Tribune in response to a public records request with the City of Tacoma. Young-Haskins' name was redacted from the email, but the fact that it originated from her was corroborated by a photo shared with The News Tribune last year. Also included on the email were former Police Chief Moore and Tacoma Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Wilsie. Through a Police Department spokesperson, Young-Haskins declined to comment for this story Wednesday. Efforts to reach Junger for comment Wednesday were not immediately successful. His LinkedIn profile says he is retired. Her email sheds light on a murky equal employment opportunity investigation in Junger's behavior. The City of Tacoma has continued to decline to elaborate on exactly what the investigation entailed. Officer Shelbie Boyd, a spokesperson for the Police Department, has said all information would have to go through the public-disclosure request system. The email also lines up with the timeline of when Junger was placed on paid administrative leave for three weeks last year. Junger was placed on leave Oct. 24, the same day Young-Haskins said she reported Junger's harassment to Moore. Junger returned to work Nov. 13, a day after Young-Haskins emailed the Human Resources department. At the time, a police spokesperson said there wasn't sufficient information to warrant keeping Junger on leave. When Junger, 55, was fired from his position as the Police Department's second in command March 31, Police Chief Patti Jackson said it was due to sustained findings in the investigation but did not explain what those findings were. An agency report held by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, first reported by KING 5, shows that an outside law firm was retained to investigate allegations of gender, race and age discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation regarding Junger. Allegations of gender discrimination and the creation of a hostile work environment were sustained, according to the agency report. The claim of race discrimination was not sustained, and claims of age discrimination and retaliation were determined to be unfounded. The News Tribune requested a copy of the investigative file related to the investigation from the City of Tacoma on March 31. As of Wednesday, the city was still locating and assembling materials. Young-Haskins, who now leads the Investigations Bureau for the Police Department, came to Tacoma from Little Rock, Arkansas, where she began her law enforcement career in 2006. She was appointed interim chief of the Little Rock Police Department in May 2022, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The newspaper reported she resigned a month later to pursue a career opportunity outside the state. At the time, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said Young-Haskins was an 'exemplary' officer who had served the city with dignity, honor and professionalism for more than 16 years. Young-Haskins' email complaint about Junger listed eight witnesses who she said might have been treated similarly or who could attest to her allegations. According to the photo of the email shared with The News Tribune, one was the former chief of staff of the Police Department, Curtis Hairston. Hairston received a $500,000 settlement from the City of Tacoma last month after he went to court over allegations that he experienced racial bias and discrimination in his 18 months with the Police Department before he resigned. His claims included allegations that Junger made racist comments to Hairston, which the city denied in a legal response.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tacoma police leader ‘feared coming forward' about ex-Deputy Chief Paul Junger
Months before Tacoma Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Junger was fired in March, public records show another member of the police leadership team reported that Junger had harassed her and eroded her confidence in her longevity with the department. Assistant Chief Crystal Young-Haskins made the report to former Police Chief Avery Moore Oct. 24 and then informed the director of the City of Tacoma's Human Resources department in an email about a month later, claiming Junger had created a hostile work environment and subjected her to unlawful harassment. Young-Haskins, who identified herself in the Nov. 12 email as a 43-year-old Black woman, said she believed she was subjected to the harassment because of her inclusion in a protected class and that the 'unwelcome' environment altered her work conditions substantially. 'It eroded confidence in my longevity with the department/city and my emotional/mental well‐being,' Young-Haskins wrote in the email. 'This added unnecessary stress has also impacted my overall quality of life and to a certain extent the overall morale of the department.' Young-Haskins said the hostile work environment began shortly after she was hired by the Police Department in fall 2022 (she was sworn into her position in July that year). She said she wanted to be afforded protection under a whistle blowers policy. 'I feared coming forward out of being a team player and a honest desire to just do my job to the best of my ability,' Young-Haskins said. Young-Haskins said Junger's harassment included unequal treatment for using leave and in the frequency of one-on-one meetings, retaliatory annual performance evaluations, invasion of privacy in her workspace and negating her seniority to undermine her authority and discredit her reputation. The email was provided to The News Tribune in response to a public records request with the City of Tacoma. Young-Haskins' name was redacted from the email, but the fact that it originated from her was corroborated by a photo shared with The News Tribune last year. Also included on the email were former Police Chief Moore and Tacoma Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Wilsie. Through a Police Department spokesperson, Young-Haskins declined to comment for this story Wednesday. Efforts to reach Junger for comment Wednesday were not immediately successful. His LinkedIn profile says he is retired. Her email sheds light on a murky equal employment opportunity investigation in Junger's behavior. The City of Tacoma has continued to decline to elaborate on exactly what the investigation entailed. Officer Shelbie Boyd, a spokesperson for the Police Department, has said all information would have to go through the public-disclosure request system. The email also lines up with the timeline of when Junger was placed on paid administrative leave for three weeks last year. Junger was placed on leave Oct. 24, the same day Young-Haskins said she reported Junger's harassment to Moore. Junger returned to work Nov. 13, a day after Young-Haskins emailed the Human Resources department. At the time, a police spokesperson said there wasn't sufficient information to warrant keeping Junger on leave. When Junger, 55, was fired from his position as the Police Department's second in command March 31, Police Chief Patti Jackson said it was due to sustained findings in the investigation but did not explain what those findings were. An agency report held by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, first reported by KING 5, shows that an outside law firm was retained to investigate allegations of gender, race and age discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation regarding Junger. Allegations of gender discrimination and the creation of a hostile work environment were sustained, according to the agency report. The claim of race discrimination was not sustained, and claims of age discrimination and retaliation were determined to be unfounded. The News Tribune requested a copy of the investigative file related to the investigation from the City of Tacoma on March 31. As of Wednesday, the city was still locating and assembling materials. Young-Haskins, who now leads the Investigations Bureau for the Police Department, came to Tacoma from Little Rock, Arkansas, where she began her law enforcement career in 2006. She was appointed interim chief of the Little Rock Police Department in May 2022, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The newspaper reported she resigned a month later to pursue a career opportunity outside the state. At the time, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said Young-Haskins was an 'exemplary' officer who had served the city with dignity, honor and professionalism for more than 16 years. Young-Haskins' email complaint about Junger listed eight witnesses who she said might have been treated similarly or who could attest to her allegations. According to the photo of the email shared with The News Tribune, one was the former chief of staff of the Police Department, Curtis Hairston. Hairston received a $500,000 settlement from the City of Tacoma last month after he went to court over allegations that he experienced racial bias and discrimination in his 18 months with the Police Department before he resigned. His claims included allegations that Junger made racist comments to Hairston, which the city denied in a legal response.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'10 Things I Hate About You' Director Weighs in on Broadway Musical Adaptation: 'Don't Hurt My Baby' (Exclusive)
Gil Junger, director of 10 Things I Hate About You, is weighing in on the upcoming Broadway musical, 25 years after the release of the 1999 original While not involved in the production, Junger says he's "so excited to see what" Lena Dunham, who is cowriting the book, "does with this" The musical will also feature a score co-written by pop star Carly Rae JepsenThe director of 10 Things I Hate About You is weighing in on the recently announced Broadway musical adaptation. In a conversation with PEOPLE, Gil Junger says he's "so excited" for the upcoming production based on his hit 1999 teen rom-com of the same name, despite not being directly involved in it. "It's funny because years ago, I was offered [the opportunity to direct a stage production]," says Junger, 70. "That was brought up to me a couple of times over the last 15 years. And I always said, 'Look, if you get your financing together, I'm down.' And they never got back to me." That being said, the show — which will be directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, from a book co-written by Lena Dunham and a score co-written by Carly Rae Jepsen— is something Junger still looks forward to taking in as a viewer. "I'm so excited to see what Lena does with this," he says of Dunham, 38. "She's just so incredibly talented. She has that voice." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. 10 Things I Hate About You follows teen Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles), a high-achieving, sharp-tongued loner who is constantly compared to her perky, popular younger sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) by their overprotective single dad, Walter (Larry Miller). But Kat's world is soon turned upside down by Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), an edgy new student who challenges her cynical views. PEOPLE confirmed the in-development 10 Things I Hate About You Broadway musical on April 23. Jepsen, 39, is partnering with Ethan Gruska on the score, while Dunham has been tapped to co-write the book with playwright Jessica Huang, according to Billboard. Two-time Tony winner Tom Kitt will serve as music supervisor, arranger and orchestrator, with Mike Bosner producing. Junger admits to PEOPLE that "there's a little bit of 'Don't hurt my baby' " in terms of his feelings about the upcoming show, as he doesn't "want it to hurt the essence" or "legend" of the movie. "I did put a little curse on the guy," he jokes of Wheeldon, 52, who's known for productions like An American in Paris and MJ: The Musical. "No, I wish them great luck with it." And considering the creative team including Dunham and Jepsen, "It's in such good hands," the filmmaker adds. "I'm just excited to see it." Junger isn't out of the 10 Things game completely, though. In fact, he is developing a follow-up film that he is planning to direct, and he is currently writing the screenplay with Naya Elle James. Titled 10 Things I Hate About Dating, the movie will be the first of a planned trilogy, according to Junger, followed by 10 Things I Hate About Marriage and 10 Things I Hate About Kids. Similarly to how the original film was a modern retelling of William Shakespeare's 16th-century comedy The Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About Dating will be inspired by Molière's 1666 play The Misanthrope, Junger tells PEOPLE. is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! And although it's unclear at this moment how much of the original film will play a part in the new story, the director would love to see some familiar faces in the next iteration, which will be aimed at an audience in the 30 age range as opposed to the first movie's teen target. Asked whether there might be a nod to Ledger, who died in 2008 at age 28, in 10 Things I Hate About Dating, Junger says, "I think that's a beautiful idea, and the answer is now going to be yes. ... He deserves to be loved." An opening date for 10 Things I Hate About You on Broadway has not yet been announced. Read the original article on People
