Second police official in St Paul alleges sexual harassment by mayor

Kaohly Her is accused of inappropriate conduct and creating a ‘sexualized work environment’ by senior officials

A second senior police official in St Paul has alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct by the Minnesota city’s Democratic mayor, Kaohly Her, following confirmation that an inquiry into her behavior was launched earlier this year.

The new claims were reported on Thursday by the Minnesota Star Tribune, which said it obtained further details of the mayor’s alleged actions that gave rise to the original complaint by Axel Henry, the police chief of St Paul.

An unnamed high-ranking female police officer, the newspaper said, claimed Her “created a sexualized work environment” and “commented on her breasts and made vulgar noises in the police gym”.

The veteran officer, the Star Tribune said, was so unsettled by that encounter and other episodes that she resigned her position.

Her, the city’s first female mayor, who was elected in November last year, “began making waves inside the police department” almost immediately after taking office, according to sources close to an inquiry that is being conducted by an independent law firm.

Other alleged incidents included Her making “orgasmic noises” while stretching in front of others at the gym, and superimposing the faces of senior St Paul police officers on to images of shirtless UFC fighters.

In a 1 April letter to the city attorney, Irene Kao, written by Chris Madel, a lawyer representing St Paul’s police chief, Henry said Her, a former state congresswoman and a Hmong refugee born in Laos, engaged in a prolonged campaign of harassment against a number of workers “using one or more mobile phones”.

The letter contained a screenshot of one message allegedly sent by Her to an employee, wishing them a “Happy Weiner Wednesday”, a redacted image, laughing emojis and the caption “when she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering”, an apparent reference to sexual intercourse.

Her did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian. She told the Star Tribune in a statement on Thursday that the police department had welcomed her into their circle and was now manipulating that trust.

“The way this is being portrayed in the media does not reflect what I understood to be mutual communication,” she said.

“I am disappointed that I was invited and brought into their space and culture and now this is the outcome. As I stated yesterday, I respect the investigative process and believe it is important to allow it to reach its conclusion.”

On Wednesday, Her said in a statement that she recognized “some of my attempts at humor fell short of the standard I expect of myself”.