A former San Diego police detective has accused the department of gender discrimination and retaliation after she reported domestic violence against her then-husband, also an officer, in 2020. Alysson Ford, who served with the department for 17 years and was named a San Diego Peace Officer of the Year in 2014, also alleged that the department covered up the allegations and failed to investigate them properly. Ford and her attorneys announced the lawsuit Monday. It was filed in November. The Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “I whole heartedly believed in the San Diego Police Department,” Ford said in a statement. “That belief was shattered in April 2020, when I reported crimes committed by a more senior male officer,” she said. According to Ford, she reported domestic violence, threats and harm to her son against the officer, who “told me I was going to lose my job with the department because of the amount of power he had in the department. …” The complaint identified the officer as Sgt. Mitchell Ford, her husband at the time. Allyson Ford reported the incident to the department. “I thought the department I had served with such dedication would protect me,” she said. “They did not.” The Police Department then “opened a woefully inadequate (internal affairs) investigation” into the incident, the complaint said. After the incident, Ford experienced shaming and retaliation at work, the complaint said. “They put me under investigation after I reported the felony abuse, again after I received a restraining order against the officer I reported, and again after I complained to the department about the injustice and discrimination,” she said. Ford alleged that the department refused to enforce the restraining order, ignored court findings and “allowed my abuser to remain armed working in the field, despite multiple judge’s orders not to possess firearms and ammunition.” Ford said she attempted to stay with the department for years but had no choice but to resign due to the “toxic” environment. “The SDPD was supposed to be my career for life — every part of my education and experience was focused on serving this department,” she said. “They ended that.” Ford resigned last year. Attorney Frank Johnson called Ford’s story “one of tragedy.” “It exposes the underbelly of the San Diego Police Department and systemic failures within,” he said in a statement. The city has until Jan. 13 to respond to the filing.