Investigation of complaint finds ‘breakdown in leadership’ in the Beaufort Police Department

Allegations by a female officer that Beaufort Police Chief Dale McDorman contributed to a hostile work environment, including sexual harassment, prompted an investigation and disciplinary action against the chief, according to documents obtained by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

The investigation found “no legal substance” for the complaints, but the city still took disciplinary action against McDorman. He was charged 16 hours of work for what previous City Manager Bill Prokop called “a breakdown in communications and leadership,” according to a disciplinary letter from Prokop to McDorman.

The investigation against McDorman was launched after a female police officer filed a complaint with the city’s Human Resources Department on Nov. 8, according to the documents the newspapers obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The employee said she felt subjected to a hostile work environment, including sexual harassment, on responses to a survey the department had issued to all employees to collect their perspectives as part of developing a strategic plan for the department.

In a statement, McDorman on Thursday said he was made aware of the complaint when it was made and takes “all complaints and concerns seriously.”

“As the chief of police, I want every employee to feel appreciated and important and I will continue to take strides to ensure a pleasant and harmonious work environment for all of our officers and staff,” he said.

Beaufort Police Chief Dale McDorman addresses parents in October during shooting scare at Beaufort High School that turned out to be a hoax.
Beaufort Police Chief Dale McDorman addresses parents in October during shooting scare at Beaufort High School that turned out to be a hoax.

McDorman has been police chief in Beaufort since 2020 following the death of the previous police chief, Matthew Clancy, who died of cancer. He joined the department in 1995 and served as its deputy chief for 10 years before being named chief. His annual salary is $124,952.

The city hired White & Story, a Columbia law firm, to investigate the complaints. Investigator Ashley Story spent several weeks conducting the investigation and conducting interviews of both McDorman, the complainant and other employees, according to a Jan. 4 report to the city provided to the newspapers.

Two different versions

In the Jan. 4 report, Story said a meeting the officer had with McDorman on Oct. 28 regarding her survey responses was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and led to her filing the complaint — not just for herself, she said, but for her colleagues.

The officer’s name is redacted in the report.

“[Blank] portrays this conversation as one that left her feeling unsettled because McDorman dismissed her honest feedback since it was ‘not what he wanted to hear,’’’ the report states. “[Blank] said McDorman’s dismissal and his comments about her personal life in the context of that dismissal culminated in the catalyst for filing the complaint. [Blank] ultimately decided to file the complaint because she felt that [she] is ‘walking on eggshells’ and did not want to continue to be negatively impacted.”

McDorman denied the employee’s characterization of the Oct. 28 meeting. He agreed that the survey responses were discussed during the meeting, but when he mentioned the officer’s personal life, he did not suggest that it was the source of her survey responses.

“McDorman admits he used [her] employment (her promotions and pay increases) as specific examples to counter the responses to her survey, but never suggested she received any raise on the basis of her gender rather than her merit,” the report said.

The relationship between McDorman and the complainant is described in the report as being “complex in that they maintained a friendly professional relationship but [blank] noted that McDorman treated females within the department differently, which, in her opinion, ultimately created negativity and workplace disruption.”

Beaufort Chief of Police Dale McDorman with the members of Operation Rock the Boat.
Beaufort Chief of Police Dale McDorman with the members of Operation Rock the Boat.

Morale cited as concern

As for the officer’s allegation of sexual harassment, the report stated, nobody interviewed reported witnessing McDorman sexually harass her. The officer herself, according to the report, could not recall any specific comments McDorman allegedly made to her, and only recalled one incident when he touched her shoulder.

The primary basis of her complaint, the officer reported, was the hostile work environment, not sexual harassment, she said.

McDorman disputed he made any suggestive comments to the officer — or any other female employee — regarding gender and did not recall touching her shoulder.

“[Blank] admitted to previously making jokes about gender-specific traits,” the report said, referring to the officer. “McDorman noted he has respect for [blank] and the work she has done while with the department.”

Although the report noted that the sampling size of employees interviewed was small, there was little disagreement among those who were interviewed “about whether McDorman generates an unhappy work environment.”

“Which creates critical morale issues and concern — among some — about making reports and/or complaints about McDorman and /or his decisions,” the report said.

One officer claimed that McDorman placed some employees “on a pedestal” and they became his favorites — both men and women. McDorman denied that he treated employees differently based on sex, according to the report.

Chief is disciplined

Prokop laid out a plan for improvement for McDorman in a Jan. 13 “disciplinary action letter.”

“Her finding was that there was no legal substance to the claim of hostile work environment,” Prokop said of Story’s investigation. “However, your leadership style and your communications within the [redacted] of the police department needs improvement.”

Prokop ordered McDorman to:

Develop a plan to improve communications and the understanding by personnel of department policies.

Hire, train and delegate more of the daily operations to the command staff in order to have a proper succession plan for the department.

Continue a personal leadership/communications style improvement plan with Weber Consulting, or a similar organization, by personally spending a minimum of one hour per month for the balance of the year.

Review with the city manager regularly the status of each of those directives.

Activate the Chief’s Advisory Committee to encourage more communication

The Chief’s Advisory Committee, made by McDorman “before this complaint was made” to improve communication within the department, had its first meeting in October and is comprised of non-supervisory employees. The seven members do not get extra pay for time spent serving on the committee.

“The intent of the committee is to help me with both big-picture plans and also improve the flow of communications within the whole department,” McDorman said. “The committee members take information from the meeting and then disseminate it to their teams. Currently, the committee is helping me assess the overall strengths and weaknesses of the department.”

Even though the complaints were not substantiated by the outside investigator, McDorman was charged for the 16 hours of work, Prokop said in his letter, because department heads need to be held to a “higher standard of performance.”

The investigation cost $16,889, according to a city spokeswoman.

City Manager Scott Marshall, who joined the city Jan. 18 after replacing the retiring Prokop, said he was unable to comment because he is unfamiliar with the particulars of the case.

Members of the City Council, Mayor Stephen Murray said, are aware of the concerns about police department leadership.

“And as mayor, I support management’s action plan,” Murray said, “and believe the new administration will work to address the concerns to ensure we have a police department that internal and external stakeholders can continue to be proud of.”