Battling
C. Okane

When Officer Christine O’Kane resigned from the El Paso Police Department to look after her ailing mother, she took comfort in knowing her supervisors gladly recommended her for re-employment should she choose to return to work. Unfortunately, when she did apply for reinstatement, her request was denied. The key factor in the refusal was her name, which on name-tags and in the header of her department e-mail reads “C.Okane.”

In his assessment for reinstatement, Assistant Police Chief Richard Wiles told the city’s personnel director that, “It is clear that (O’Kane’s) intention was to refer to the drug cocaine. This is very inappropriate and a violation of department policy.” Wiles also suggested O’Kane would be subjecting the department to “public ridicule and disrespect.”

O’Kane appealed to the state’s Civil Service Commission, who unanimously ruled to overturn Wiles’s decision. She has since joined the force in another district and has started using her maiden name instead. :
-Scott Saxon