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(Des Moines, IA) -- Several female Des Moines Police Department employees are suing the department and the city, claiming they were sexually harassed by former Des Moines police union president Stew Barnes. The employees claim Barnes sent them inappropriate pictures between 2019 and 2020 and created what they call a sexually hostile environment. They claim the police department knows about the harassment and won't do anything about it. The city has released a statement saying it's taken all necessary steps since it became aware of the claims and that the employees in the lawsuit didn't report the misconduct. Barnes was allowed to retire last year with full benefits.