TERMINATED
POLICE OFFICER REINSTATED
By
Saku E. Ethir
Lackie & Dammeier, LLP
On June
29, 2003, a settlement was reached in a case involving Los Angeles
School District Police Officer Rodney Williams.
Williams was terminated for allegations of conduct unbecoming a
police officer, and dishonesty, allegations that Williams wholeheartedly
denied.
The
allegations stemmed from a September 21, 2002, incident during which
Williams was alleged to have, while off-duty, struck his girlfriend
numerous times at a Home Depot parking lot.
Two citizens reported this incident to another law enforcement
agency, which responded to the location.
The girlfriend and Williams both admitted that they had a verbal
argument at the location in question, but both denied that there was
ever any physical abuse by Williams.
Both never wavered in their denials, despite inaccurate
statements by the investigators, that a video likely existed, or did
exist, of the alleged incident. In
addition, the department’s investigator assigned to the case saw the
girlfriend, in person, soon after the alleged incident, and noted no
visible sign of any injuries.
The
alleged incident occurred in a busy Home Depot parking lot, mid-morning,
on a Saturday. The two
witnesses in the case reported that they observed the incident from
approximately 35-to-40 yards away.
In addition, the statements by the two witnesses were
inconsistent with each other, changed several times during the course of
the department’s administrative and criminal investigation (no
criminal charges were filed), and were essentially recanted by one of
the witnesses.
Despite
all of the above, and numerous procedural violations by the
department/district, the department/district elected to proceed with
Williams’ termination, alleging Williams struck his girlfriend on the
date in question, and was dishonest when he denied striking her.
Williams
appealed his termination to the Personnel Commission, and was
represented at his administrative evidentiary hearing by this author, of
Lackie & Dammeier, LLP. On
June 29, 2004, following three days of hearing, and in the midst of the
department’s case-in-chief, settlement discussions were entered into.
The department/district agreed to reinstate Williams to his
position with the department, with a minor suspension.
As part of the settlement, the district withdrew the dishonesty
allegation, and the allegation that Williams struck his girlfriend, and
instead agreed to an allegation of conduct unbecoming (based on the
verbal argument which resulted in the response of another law
enforcement agency). In
addition, the district/department agreed to pay Williams approximately
12 months of back pay.
Williams
would like to thank the Legal Defense Fund, the Los Angeles School
Police Association, and his attorneys at Lackie & Dammeier, LLP, for
their support.
About the author, Saku E. Ethir is an
associate with the law firm of Lackie & Dammeier, LLP, who
represents police associations throughout California in discipline and
negotiation matters.
LDF Home Page | News
Article Index
