A captain with the Los Angeles Police Department who is suing the city claims that he had been denied advancement for unjust reasons. One of these reasons, according to his suit, is that he has voted not to terminate officers who have come before the department’s Board of Rights, on which he sometimes sits.
According to the captain, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck feels that every officer who has a Board of Rights hearing for alleged misconduct should be fired. He says that was spelled out by a deputy chief in a meeting with Chief Beck present. A deputy chief allegedly said, according to the suit, that when an officer is ordered to appear before the Board of Rights, the chief “expects that officer to be terminated and the commanding officers sitting on the Board of Rights do not have the authority to do anything different.”
Moreover, the plaintiff says that he was informed by a deputy chief that Chief Beck takes the decisions made by those sitting on the board into consideration when deciding on promotions. According to the suit, the plaintiff’s decisions on cases brought before the board have been at odds with the alleged edict of Chief Beck, and he has suffered retaliation for that reason.
He is also alleging discrimination. The captain, who is African-American, says that his race and support of other African-American officers have been factors in his lack of advancement. He says that the problem does not end with him. The suit asserts that out of 58 promotions of captains to higher paygrades during Chief Beck’s tenure, which began in November 2009, just three have been African-American.
Many people believe they have been subjected to discrimination, retaliation and other injustices in the workplace. However, the prospect of fighting for your rights against an employer can be intimidating. It’s essential to get good legal advice to determine whether you have a case. If so, you want an experienced legal team to help protect your rights and present your case in order to give you the best opportunity to get the compensation to which you are entitled.
Source: CBS Los Angeles, “African-American LAPD Captain Files Lawsuit Against City For Discrimination, Retaliation” No author given, Apr. 14, 2014
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