MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Jessica Salabarria Guasto was a Miami Beach police officer for 10 years.
She says from the start of her career, she was sexually harassed. Now, she has filed a federal lawsuit against the Miami Beach Police Department.
“I need to fight for the right thing and that’s why I am going to continue to fight,” Guasto said. “I noticed there was toxic culture there and it was allowed. They targeted the females.”
She said she was stalked by another officer and at one point shown pornographic movies in her supervisor’s office. It led her to filing equal employment opportunity complaints in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
“This is a serious issue,” said Guasto. “I know there’s a lot of females who don’t want to come forward because they are scared of retaliation.”
In 2020, Guasto got in trouble for driving her patrol car out of the city’s jurisdiction. City sources said she was at her apartment complex when she was supposed to be working.
“I knew they were going to do whatever they need to do to get me fired,” Guasto said.
She signed a settlement agreement where she paid the city back more than $3,000 and dropped the equal employment opportunity complaint. She says what she did is not a fireable act.
“All I ever wanted was a fair chance to be a police officer,” Guasto said.
She said after that incident she was forced to midnights, where on one evening her supervisor was a man who allegedly sexually harassed her in the past.
City sources said the lawsuit filed by Guasto is frivolous.
“They say that to every victim,” was her response.
Those same sources said Guasto had consensual sex with the officer she accuses of sexual harassment.
“I did not,” she boldly stated. “That’s a lie. They will do anything to discredit victims.”
Guasto was written up by that officer for, among other things, neglect of duty and not listening to the police radios.
She says that is also a lie, though city sources said she is the one not being truthful.
The city implemented her resignation letter.
Guasto dreamed of being a police officer ever since she was a child, and all she wants is her job back.