Seattle police officers allege anti-gay discrimination in promotions

Two openly gay veteran Seattle police officers have sued the department, alleging they were passed over for promotion and discriminated against.

Anna Fishel, a detective in the department's policy unit, and Douglas Raguso, a lieutenant overseeing the Real-Time Crime Center, allege their sexual orientations played a role in decisions to pass them over for promotion, even though both of them at one point or another led the promotion lists.

In 2024, Fishel had applied to become a sergeant and asked that she be allowed to stay with her unit since she was a single mother with a school-age child. Officers and detectives often are transferred to patrol units when they are promoted to sergeant.

She rose to No. 1 on the promotion list in August 2025. She claims she had the support of a number of ranking supervisors. At their behest, she was promoted to a temporary acting sergeant in the policy unit. She became a permanent acting sergeant in September, according to a complaint filed in King County Superior Court.

She again applied for the policy unit sergeant position when the position opened. Fishel, who holds a master's degree, assumed that, as an acting sergeant endorsed by everyone in her chain of command, she would be tapped to fill the role, according to the complaint.

When she met with Chief Shon Barnes, however, he told her the department's priority was filing sergeant positions in the patrol division, and declined to promote her in the policy unit. He offered her a position as a third-watch sergeant, working from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. - untenable hours given her responsibilities as a mother.

The lawsuit states that the sergeant's position in the policy unit was then filled by a straight man.

The Seattle city attorney's office, which will defend against the lawsuit, did not return a telephone call seeking comment. The city generally does not respond to questions about litigation brought against it.

Fishel responded in November by applying for a promotion and job as a sergeant in the office of police accountability, a job that was later filled by a sergeant from another division. Fishel was again told that the only sergeant promotions the department was offering was for patrol slots. She was told by Deputy Chief Yvonne Underwood that the Seattle Police Department wanted newly promoted sergeants to spend a year in patrol before filling other positions.

The city's continued assertion that patrol is the only available promotional option fails to acknowledge and accommodate Ms. Fishel's obligations as a mother," the lawsuit alleges, noting that requirement is not found in SPD policy.

"Ms. Fishel's gender and sexual orientation have each been substantial factors in the city's failure to promote her to a non-patrol sergeant position," it claims, adding that the department's decisions have "had a devastating impact on her emotional well-being."

Raguso, who was hired by SPD in 2004, was a lieutenant in 2022 and tested to become a captain in early 2023. He would have been the first openly gay male captain in the department's history, according to the lawsuit.

Raguso eventually rose to the top of the promotion list when the roster was "unofficially frozen," the lawsuit said, meaning no further promotions would be chosen from that list. Raguso remained first on the list for seven months "until a straight male officer became eligible for promotion … and took over the number one position."

The list was unfrozen and that individual was promoted, according to the lawsuit, before the list was frozen again with Raguso at the top until it expired.

"In total, Mr. Raguso maintained the number one position as an eligible promotional candidate for more than twelve months," the lawsuit says.

In January 2024, Raguso - still a lieutenant - began serving as watch commander in the department's East Precinct, frequently serving as acting captain and gaining praise inside and outside the department, according to the lawsuit. He claims he asked about his prospects for promotion and was told by command staff that they did not need to promise him "if they did not want to."

In September 2025, Raguso was assigned as lieutenant commander of the Real-Time Crime Center, where he supervises civilians instead of sworn officers.

"Within approximately two weeks of Mr. Raguso's transfer, four lieutenants were promoted to captain from the new roster," the lawsuit alleges.

Among them was Michael Tietjen, a troubled officer opposed by the gay community on Capitol Hill, part of the East Precinct. Barnes, the chief, accused Raguso of leaking Tietjen's promotion in a "contentious" meeting that left Raguso distraught, according to the lawsuit. Barnes transferred Tietjen shortly afterward.

"Mr. Raguso's sexual orientation has been a substantial factor in the city's failure to promote him to captain, the lawsuit claims.

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 6:37 AM.