A former Iowa City Police officer is suing the city, claiming he was the target of discrimination by superiors and co-workers.
The city started an inquiry into 26-year-old Emilio Puente after an incident on November 7th of 2021 where a suspect resisted arrest and an altercation ensued, leading to Puente using force to make the arrest. Less than two days later, Puente was injured when a suspect kneed him in the knee, leading to a disability claim.
The previous year, Puente was the subject of a complaint following an incident where he and another officer pursued a suspect in their squad cars through a grassy area. Puente claims in his new lawsuit that he was disciplined for the incident, but the officer he had been following was not.
Puente also claims that during his three years with the force he was the target of discrimination due to his race, skin color and disability.
In his lawsuit against the city, Puente claims he was summoned to Chief Dustin Liston’s office on February 3rd of 2022 and was allegedly informed that he had two hours to submit his resignation or he would be fired. Puente added that he was advised by veteran co-workers that if he didn’t resign, he would most likely never work in law enforcement again.
The city says Puente showed up to the meeting with a union representative and submitted his resignation before Liston could issue a decision.
Puente is seeking unspecified damages.