A former Minot police officer is suing the City of Minot for discrimination and hostile work environment related to incidents alleged to have occurred during 2023 and 2024.

Krysta Becker filed the federal lawsuit June 12, claiming unlawful employment practices under the Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and North Dakota Human Rights Act.

Becker, who had joined the Minot Police Department in August 2015, was promoted in 2020 to Police Officer Master. She had been nominated for Officer of the Year and received North Dakota’s Bravery Award in 2019 for her actions during an incident in which she de-escalated a situation with an armed intruder. She was assigned to the SWAT Team as a sniper and also became Field Training Officer.

Becker sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder triggered during an investigation of an active murder scene in 2017 and compounded by the suicide of a fellow officer in 2022 while she was on duty. The disability was further compounded by contact with a fellow officer whom she saw as engaging in various misconduct, causing her to consider him untrustworthy and a danger to herself and the public, according to the complaint.

Following a severe PTSD symptom in November 2023, Becker said she was threatened by her supervisor with involuntary committal, which would likely end her law enforcement career. Consequently, she was voluntarily hospitalized and later directed by then Police Chief John Klug to attend a treatment program in Florida.

In April 2024, she said, she was suspended from the SWAT team due to a commander mischaracterizing her watery eyes at the time as being unable to control her emotions. She also was removed as training officer until October 2024 and assigned to the same shift as the officer she had deemed untrustworthy.

Becker alleges the reason for the suspension constituted disparate treatment, based on less severe discipline for more egregious misconduct by male SWAT members. In May 2024, Becker was placed on paid administrative leave and ordered to undergo an exam to determine fitness for duty. The exam found her fit but recommended she be allowed to continue education and training related to SWAT to reduce feelings of anxiety and betrayal. Her complaint states she was denied both the training and her disability accommodation request to not work with the officer she didn’t trust.

Becker added she submitted formal complaints about the officer to the department’s Human Resources office, which were dismissed. The complaint stated she felt forced to resign, but instead of the city accepting her two-week notice, she was fired immediately on July 23, 2024.

The complaint also states that in September 2024, the police chief contacted Becker’s new employer, the Ward County Sheriff’s Department, with false and retaliatory information that she would not back up Minot Police Department officers.

The complaint notes an external investigation into a hostile work environment and management issues at the Minot Police Department late in 2024 resulted in the resignation of the officer whom Becker had accused of misconduct and a mutual decision by Police Chief Klug and the city that he should leave the department.

Becker seeks past and future lost wages as well as unspecified compensatory damages for personal suffering and therapy costs, including about $4,000 in out-of-pocket costs for the inpatient program in Florida. She also seeks unspecified damages for reputational harm.

The City of Minot has not yet filed a response and declined to comment on the active lawsuit.