Federal lawsuit says Philadelphia police captain sexually harassed coworker for years

A Philadelphia police captain who was named police chief in Hartford, Conn., but did not take the job after it was revealed he was under investigation for sexual harassment, has been sued by a police sergeant who accused him of years of sexual misconduct.

Capt. Tyrell McCoy was accused in a federal lawsuit filed this week of creating a “hostile environment” of pervasive sexual harassment in the workplace, including unwanted groping and kissing and requests for oral sex on the job and after work hours.

Sgt. Mark Casey said in the suit that McCoy had pursued him for years — including while he was his boss in Center City — and then retaliated against him when he refused his requests.

The suit names McCoy, along with the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department. The police department declined to comment, citing the litigation. A spokesperson for the city’s law department also declined to comment.

Casey’s attorney, Wayne Ely, could not be reached for comment. Attempts to reach McCoy for comment were unsuccessful.

In the lawsuit, Casey described a persistent pattern of harassment by McCoy and said the offensive behavior continued even though he rebuffed his boss at every turn.

Last June, the suit said, McCoy sent him a text message saying he needed sex and when Casey didn’t respond, McCoy called him a whore. And he said McCoy asked him for oral sex by sending him emojis that represented the sex act.

According to the lawsuit, McCoy threatened Casey and told him he was “untouchable” because of his close working relationship with the then-head of professional standards at the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

The suit comes at a time when McCoy was under investigation by police Internal Affairs after Casey and another sergeant filed complaints last year saying that he had sexually harassed them on the job, according to records obtained by The Inquirer.

The city hired a team of outside lawyers to investigate the matter. The inquiry remains ongoing, according to sources familiar with the investigation, and Internal Affairs has not issued any findings on whether McCoy acted inappropriately or violated any department rules.

In January, McCoy, 36, stood with Hartford officials as they announced him as the new police chief, after a nationwide search. Officials at the time said he was to be confirmed after a public hearing and City Council vote on Feb. 10.

After The Inquirer began asking questions about the Internal Affairs investigations, Hartford’s mayor announced that McCoy had withdrawn from consideration for the job for personal reasons.

Staff writer Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.