Redacted text messages between Margate Police Chief Joseph Galaska and Police Sgt. Phillip Horne (in blue).
By Kevin Deutsch
An investigation into inappropriate text messages sent by Margate Police Chief Joseph Galaska found the chief subjected a female lieutenant to harassment and a hostile work environment, records show.
The independent investigation, conducted by attorney Ria Chattergoon of The RC Law Group at the behest of the Margate city commission, found there was “sufficient circumstantial evidence to substantiate [the lieutenant’s] claim of harassment and hostile work environment,” according to the Feb. 23 investigative report, which Margate Talk obtained Friday.
The investigation also found Galaska made derogatory statements about other police department employees in text messages, the report states.
Chattergoon’s firm was hired to conduct an impartial investigation of a complaint filed against Galaska by the female lieutenant, who alleged she was subjected to a discriminating, harassing, and hostile work environment. She alleged Galaska made “disparaging and highly offensive remarks about [her] and other women in the department to a subordinate via text message.”
She also alleged Galaska referred to her “engaging in sexual acts to advance within [her] career” and expressed concern about retaliation by Galaska for bringing her complaint, the report states.
Margate Talk is not publishing the name of the female lieutenant, who is not accused of any wrongdoing.
During her investigation, Chattergoon interviewed more than five police department employees and obtained the inappropriate text messages sent from Galaska to Margate Police Sgt. Phillip Horne, the report states.
The messages between Galaska and Horne happened at a time when the female lieutenant who made the allegations was supervising Horne, the report states.
Chattergoon found Galaska’s messages violated city policies, including one barring harassment.
“The text messages, one containing sexually charged matter and another indicating [the lieutenant] will not be promoted within the department, were undeniably sent from Chief Galaska to Sgt. Horne,” Chattergoon wrote. “In reviewing the City’s policies, I find that the text messages violate Police Department’s Standard of Conduct … I also find that these text messages also violate the City’s Professional Conduct and Respectful Workplace policies.”
Chattergoon said the text messages undermined the lieutenant’s authority within the department, and that Galaska’s message stating he would not promote the lieutenant, “and would in fact, demote her, if he could,” amounted to a hostile work environment.
Galaska’s texts to Horne included a message chain that stated: “Oh sh-t do you think [the lieutenant] is a snake really? I will never ever make her a major, and if I can remove her from Lieutenant, you know if we do it in a minute. She got it because nobody else was there to challenge her. She is not the future,” according to the report.
Another text message Galaska sent about the lieutenant referenced a sexual act, the report states.
“Objectively, the conduct in this case—the text messages—occurred on one occasion,” Chattergoon wrote. “However, the severity of the conduct, the humiliating nature of the message, and the unreasonable interference with [the lieutenant’s] supervisory authority outweighs the frequency.”
According to the report, Chattergoon could not substantiate whether Galaska’s conduct was discriminatory and based on the lieutenant’s gender because “other text messages discovered also indicate that Chief Galaska made similar comments towards male employees.”
In those text messages, Galaska called another male employee a “p—y” and stated that a male and female officer can “go suck each other,” according to the report.
When Chattergoon questioned Galaska, he claimed he had no animus toward the lieutenant who made the complaint and said he was the one who promoted her from sergeant to lieutenant, the report states. The lieutenant had originally made a complaint against Galaska in October 2021 and filed a formal complaint in December 2023.
Chattergoon asked Galaska whether he promoted, or was told to promote, the lieutenant following her October 2021 complaint against him “to avoid her then allegations of gender discrimination or retaliation.”
“He denied that was the reason for her promotion,” Chattergoon wrote. “His text messages, however, to Sgt. Horne relay a different perspective.”
“When asked about his text message regarding the alleged sexual acts, Chief Galaska did not provide a response,” the report states.
In a text message reply to Margate Talk Friday, Galaska said he had not been given time by the city to respond to the report and would be issuing a statement when ready.
“This is being thrown at me very quickly, during a time when we lost one of our officers,” wrote Galaska, referencing the death of Margate Police Sgt. Jeffrey Arbogast.
As part of her investigation into Galaska’s texts, Chattergoon said she found additional messages and information that raise “a concern regarding potential gender bias within the Margate Police Department and which has the potential of creating future issues for the City.”
The information centered on a female Margate Police sergeant who alleged she was denied a promotion to lieutenant by Galaska because she is female and provided text messages she alleged supported her claim.
Chattergoon recommended that a separate investigation into possible gender discrimination be conducted “as there is growing concern among the female police officers regarding their ability to advance their careers within the department.”
Chattergoon refrained from recommending disciplinary action, stating it was the city commission’s responsibility to determine whether any action should be taken against Galaska.
“I do, however, recommend that the Human Resources Department conduct a specific training for the Police Department regarding harassment and reporting of harassment and retaliation,” she wrote, noting that each person she interviewed feared retaliation.
Margate Commissioner Antonio Arserio on Friday said he would take action based on the report.
“After reviewing the reports, I am appalled by the findings,” Arserio told Margate Talk in an email. “I will not tolerate discrimination and/or degrading of women within our City. At Wednesday’s City Commission [meeting] I will be mentioning these findings and ask that the Commission holds a special meeting to take appropriate action.”
“It’s disgusting,” Arserio added in a phone call. “I’m appalled, and if he’s still chief by Wednesday, I’m going ask the commission to have a meeting to discuss his employment.”
Margate residents in 2018 approved a change to the city charter that gives the city commission the authority to hire, fire, suspend, and investigate the police chief.
Galaska’s predecessor, Jonathan Shaw, was fired in December 2021 after an internal police department investigation found he had sex with a female officer in his assigned vehicle, traded lurid “sexts” and photographs with her, and abandoned his surveillance duties to meet for sex.
The investigation also found Shaw sent sexts and photos of his penis while on duty and used his authority to get out of trouble when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper caught him and a subordinate female officer having sex in the bed of a department truck, investigators found. A female officer also accused him of abusing and being “sexually violent” with her.
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