Former Tacoma deputy police chief Paul Junger has taken his fight with the city to federal court, alleging he was pushed out of his job for calling out problems inside the Tacoma Police Department rather than for any misconduct of his own.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Junger says he was unlawfully removed from his post after raising alarms about what he describes as improper hiring decisions, irregular spending approvals and timekeeping issues inside TPD. The complaint ties those concerns in part to a roughly $2 million overtime-driven budget shortfall and accuses city officials of retaliation and procedural failures, according to The News Tribune. Junger rejects findings that he created a hostile work environment and denies discrimination claims that surfaced while he was in the role.
Junger joined TPD in 2022 after a lengthy law enforcement career in Dallas. His tenure in Tacoma ended in March 2025, when the department announced his separation following an external Equal Employment Opportunity investigation. The department publicly confirmed at the time that he was no longer with TPD and linked that decision to the outside probe, as reported by FOX 13 Seattle.
What the lawsuit says
The complaint paints a picture of a disciplinary process that Junger says was steered toward an adverse outcome after he raised concerns up the chain. According to the filing, then department leaders and the city manager’s office allegedly influenced the investigation and discipline in retaliation for his internal reports, and he contends he was denied basic pre-disciplinary protections…