In the leafy borough of Saddle River, NJ—where appearances are everything and silence is a virtue—one female officer decided she wasn’t going to shut up, deepen her voice, or play along.
Now, they’re being sued.
Maryan Beskaly, a 27-year-old former patrol officer and the only Middle Eastern officer ever employed by the department, has filed a civil lawsuit in Bergen County Superior Court. And it’s a wrecking ball.
Her claims? A toxic frat house culture cloaked in a badge. Sexism. Racism. Disability discrimination. Retaliation.And at the center of it all? Allegedly, Police Chief Jason Cosgriff—a man who, according to two lawsuits now, is running his department like a private boy’s club where “female bonding” is treated like a threat to national security.
Testosterone Over Training?
Let’s talk about the testosterone.
According to the lawsuit, a male lieutenant told Beskaly she should consider taking testosterone to lower her voice. Why? Because a supervisor claimed her “screeching” on bodycam footage gave him a headache.
Read that again.
A woman serving her town, writing tickets, showing up to calls, and—by the department’s own admission—leading the patrol division in productivity, was told to chemically alter her body to sound more “authoritative.” In the world of Saddle River law enforcement, apparently biology matters more than bravery.
Girl Power? Not Welcome Here.
But this wasn’t just about her voice. According to Beskaly’s lawsuit, the moment she bonded with the department’s otherfemale officer—Sgt. Diana Golonek, who filed her own discrimination suit in 2024—the clock started ticking.
Chief Cosgriff allegedly told Beskaly to stay off certain shifts just to keep the two women apart. Why? The lawsuit claims the department feared “girl power.”
The phrase actually appears in the legal filing. No irony. No shame. Just the raw sexism of a command staff who apparently believe estrogen is contagious.
Even more disturbing: Beskaly alleges she was originally hired just to get under Golonek’s skin, and when the two women became allies instead of adversaries, Cosgriff tried to isolate them.
Disability Denied, Humiliation Served
Beskaly says the department’s gear physically injured her. The standard-issued taser belt, designed for the bodies of men, aggravated her back so severely that she requested an outer vest—one already approved for male supervisors.
Her request was denied. Even after she offered to buy it herself.
Instead? Male officers tried to “adjust” her belt in person, an experience she described as humiliating and invasive.
And when it came to recharging her taser or bodycam? The chargers were in the men’s locker room. No access for her. No alternatives provided. So she either waited, or had to ask male officers to retrieve her equipment—yet another forced reliance in a system designed to sideline her.
Punished for Not Racially Profiling?
In one of the lawsuit’s most damning allegations, Beskaly says she was criticized for not stopping a Black man who matched no description in a hit-and-run case.
She refused to racially profile him. For that, she says, her training period was extended—not to help her, but to “get under her skin.”
Let’s call it what it is: Retaliation for having ethics.
The Bigger Picture
This is no one-off. Beskaly’s lawsuit echoes a pattern of discrimination and retaliation alleged by Sgt. Golonek, who’s still tangled in disciplinary proceedings—proceedings that just so happen to follow her own tort claim against the department.
Meanwhile, Beskaly says she was fired just before her one-year probation ended, under false pretenses, despite a spotless record and high performance.
She’s suing under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, citing:
- Gender and national origin discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Failure to accommodate
- Hostile work environment
- Retaliation
And unless someone in Saddle River wakes up, this won’t be the last lawsuit. It’ll just be the latest one ignored—until the public demands better.
Final Thought
Maryan Beskaly didn’t fail the system.
The system failed her.
And if even one part of this lawsuit proves true, Saddle River PD isn’t a department—it’s a liability.
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