A 2016 PHOTO OF Laura Frizzo while she was Iron River police chief. (File photo)

CRYSTAL FALLS — Former Iron River Police Chief Laura Frizzo said Wednesday she has struggled to find law enforcement work since she was fired in late 2016, at one point having to take a job at an Olive Garden to make ends meet.

Frizzo testified for nearly seven hours Wednesday in the third day of trial for her wrongful termination lawsuit against the city of Iron River and its manager, David Thayer, in Iron County Court.

The first female city police chief in the Upper Peninsula, Frizzo contends her firing Dec. 9, 2016, while on medical leave was due to her gender and Thayer’s antagonistic history with women.

He demonstrated that, she said, when during a telephone call in April 2016 to discuss vacation time discrepancies Thayer called her a derogatory term towards women — which another officer overheard — before hanging up the phone.

In another instance, Thayer reached toward her to try to physically force her into a seat during a meeting, Frizzo testified Wednesday.

Thayer has denied the allegations and said his decision stemmed from conflicts with her management style and professional conduct.

Frizzo’s suit initially sought reinstatement as chief and at least $25,000 in damages.

Under questioning by her attorney, Brian Keck, Frizzo detailed the damage the termination did to her life. She said she could not pay her bills and was forced to move to Indiana for work, adding tearfully that she missed much of two years with her son.

“It’s kind of like a bad dream you never wake up from,” she said.

She applied to more than 30 police departments in four states but got few interview offers; several never showed interest or returned phone calls. One official responded only to ask why a former police chief would seek a lower position, she said.

When nothing materialized, Frizzo had to broaden her search, looking for work as a private investigator, a security officer, a supervisor, a receptionist. Eventually she became a part-time waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant, where she made $2.50 an hour, she said.

Frizzo is now a criminal intelligence analyst for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, a drug prohibition enforcement network run by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. It is contract work that does not offer benefits, she said.

Defense attorney Susan MacGregor pointed out Frizzo did not keep full records of her job searches. “All we have is your word that you, in fact, contacted these employers,” MacGregor said.

She noted that of the 85 positions Frizzo said she had applied for, only 22 of the employers told MacGregor’s office they had ever heard of her.

MacGregor characterized Frizzo as stubborn and insubordinate, not just with Thayer but with his predecessor, former Iron River City Manager Perry Franzoi.

Frizzo’s role in the Kelly Cochran investigation and trial in the 2014 murder of Christopher Regan earned her time in the spotlight during her leave of absence, MacGregor said.

Frizzo was paid $12,000 to take part in the documentary series “Dead North,” on the Cochran case. Afterward, she was flown to New York to appear on the daytime talk show “Megyn Kelly Today.”

MacGregor also highlighted the Iron River municipal charter, which gives the city manager discretion in personnel matters and the ability to dismiss department heads at any time, for any reason, including the police chief.

She read from the contract, “shall serve at the pleasure of the Iron River City manager.”

Thayer is expected to testify as well during the trial, which should extend into next week.