the staff of the ridgewood blog
Saddle River NJ, Sgt. Diana Golonek, the first and only woman in the borough of Saddle River’s police department, has filed a six-count lawsuit against the department and the borough, alleging persistent bullying, ridicule, and harassment throughout her 11-year tenure. The 47-page complaint, filed in Superior Court on September 30th, outlines a series of grievances, including gender discrimination, disability discrimination, retaliation, and violations of both the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act and the New Jersey Civil Rights Act.
Golonek’s allegations paint a troubling picture of the department’s treatment of its sole female officer. Her complaint comes after a tort claim filed in July 2023, later amended in April, in which she expressed hope that the borough would take action to address the hostile work environment. However, she asserts that no steps were taken to resolve the ongoing issues.
Key Allegations in the Complaint
Golonek claims that despite being hired in 2013 by former Police Chief Timothy McWilliams, she faced immediate hostility from then-Captain Jason Cosgriff, who allegedly dismissed her input and undermined her efforts. According to the lawsuit, Cosgriff became chief in 2018 and has demonstrated a clear bias against female officers, fostering an environment of harassment and discrimination. The lawsuit accuses the department of various forms of misconduct, including:
- Referring to Golonek’s squad as the “blond stupid squad.”
- Warning officers not to associate with her, labeling her as a “negative person” and a “bad officer.”
- Subjecting her to more frequent drug tests than her male counterparts, including a 2021 test that involved unusual procedures.
- Accusing her of being affiliated with a motorcycle gang due to her ownership of a motorcycle and leaving a book about motorcycle gangs in her mailbox.
- Placing essential equipment in the men’s locker room, thereby restricting her access.
- Denying her request to wear an equipment vest that would alleviate back pain caused by heavy equipment carried on her belt.
Claims of Retaliation and Stalled Career Advancement
Despite her promotion to sergeant in May 2022, Golonek claims that her career has been intentionally stifled. The lawsuit asserts that Chief Cosgriff has deliberately withheld specialized assignments from her, preventing her from advancing within the department. Additionally, following her filing of a notice of tort claim in 2023, she received several reprimands and a disciplinary notice seeking a 90-day suspension after maintaining a spotless record for 10 years.
Golonek also alleges that Cosgriff blamed her for delays in department promotions and that an internal affairs investigation suggested disciplining her for reporting misconduct by others.
A Call for Accountability
Golonek’s lawsuit seeks accountability from the borough and the police department for what she describes as unchecked misconduct and a culture of sexism. She is not the only female officer to raise concerns—another female officer, Maryan Beskaly, was hired in May 2022 but terminated in April 2023 after voicing her own complaints about the department.
As the case moves forward, it highlights the challenges women in law enforcement face and the importance of addressing workplace harassment and discrimination. The borough has yet to issue a public statement regarding the lawsuit.
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Hey Sgt. Diana Golonek, man up and stop whining. You can’t even carry the standard equipment without assistance because it’s too heavy? Maybe being a mall cop at Sephora would suit you better.
I’m not against women in the force. I just think any job a woman can do, a trans woman can do better.
Of course she did….
Oh boy. Not for nothing, though I have a lot of friends that are cops and they tell me with all the gear it is uncomfortable. So man up you tell that to you, fellow men to man up.
No one cares about men’s discomfort, and that especially includes other men. It’s part of the job. And if any officer, whether male, female, spirit-of-a-dead-grandfather inhabiting the body of a K9, doesn’t like it, maybe they can stay at home and make sandwiches.
I’ve seen the chief and other male officers with the outside vests for their equipment- so it seems like they are in discomfort too- but they can make accommodations for themselves but not their officers
I’ve seen and heard police officers in the Village Of Ridgewood cry and complain about checking the oil on the car that they are patrolling in, can you imagine that oh my hands might get a little dirty but yet they could put their cats in their car that they are driving But not check the oil. I’m sure they check the oil on their own car. They took carry throwaway gloves use them.
This is an example of a 1960 frame of mind which I thought we had evolved from. I’m sure the residents of an upscale town like Saddle River are going to be horrified learning that this goes on in their town. It’s so LOW CLASS!
Hey Jeanette, you see that tape across your avatar’s mouth?
Dirty politics, the truth will come out.
Hard to believe they this is what our beautiful town has come to with poor leadership. We used to be the envy of Bergen County and a safe place to raise a family, but that has quickly passed away. It’s sad to drive through town and see all the homes for sale as people flee Saddle River. Our tax dollars are wasted on settling lawsuit after lawsuit and the town leadership tries to keep the attention away with bridges in parks that led to nowhere. Morale in the police department is at an all time low and it’s reflected in the rise in crime, home invasions and disarray of the town. The turnover in the department is difficult to watch as new officers leave the department as quickly as they come. The high salaries and benefits we boast of can’t even get them to stay. Seems maybe the police department leadership should focus on keeping the citizens safe instead of attacking one another and legging their egos ruin our beautiful town.
You could say the same thing about America on the whole.
So very true the villager Ridgewood used to be the leader in Bergen county. i’m not anymore, that stopped about five years ago that’s because they lost a lot of experience and no how. Now everyone is just a puppet. No one can run the department by themselves. Everything comes from the top management and boy or boy. Have they been screwing up left and right with their decisions, talking about not performing well. The taxpayers of the village of Ridgewood got it. At times it’s so embarrassing, and yes, there is a smoke screen out there, but the morale is done and our top official don’t know how to bring it back. But there’s one guy that can do it, but the problem is the top officials don’t want to admit it and they don’t wanna give him a call, everyone else knows who it is
Did everyone miss that she was with the department for 11 years? And that she, allegedly, suffered these abuses throughout her tenure? She didn’t say anything after year 1, year 2 or even 3. She accepted the alleged abuse without a peep during years 4, 5 and 6. And as the abuse continued, she suited up everyday through years 7, 8 and 9, and 10.
Oh, I know what you’re thinking, she was afraid to stand up for herself. She was afraid of the backlash, the retaliation. Well, that’s not really a good look for a police officer is it? Did she have more to fear from fellow officers than the criminals elements she swore to protect the public from?
Hey Saddle River, first … and last. OK?
I guess you know nothing about abuse and the fear that comes from that. I feel sorry for all of the really dumb armchair quarterback psychologists out there that have NFC what is going on in the world. Wake TF up.
In the end, the truth will come out, and if this was going on which I don’t know, I wasn’t there. But if it was going on, and if that was my daughter well a few of these bums are gonna get a beaten.
And if you disagree with that, you’re a real piece of shit, I don’t give a shit who you are. What do you think about that?
What kind of father produces a daughter that wants to become a police officer? That’s what I think about that.