Michigan librarian Susan Harshfield says she was fired for talking too loudly

(UPI) -- Michigan librarian Susan Harshfield has filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming she was fired from the Genesee District Library for talking too loudly to police after she made a call for help.

Harshfield, 30, says she called police to help her with a patron who refused to leave the library after a dispute erupted over DVDs.

"This woman was not willing to leave my branch and basically I had to call 911," Harshfield said.

Harshfield was fired less than three weeks later. According to her, library management got upset because the detailed statement she gave to police could cause liability issues for the library in the future.

According to Harshfield's termination notice:

"You spoke rudely and loudly to the police officer demanding that he make the patron leave the premises. You angrily questioned the police officer about his disregard of following the GDL policy on removing patrons from the building. The police officer had to physically direct you to leave the area so that he could assess the situation."

Library spokesman Trenton Smiley and library attorney Patrick Parker both declined to comment.

"The taxpayers and library lost a good worker in Susan," said Harshfield's attorney, Tom Pabst.

"I don't want to become famous or make my name in a lawsuit against a library," Harshfield said. "I just want to create a better work environment for the people who work there."