Why? The L.A.P.D. can't "Just say no!" to "discrimination!", 1991, p. 31 |
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THE COMMUNITY FOUNDED UPON A ROCK" SATURDAY, MAY 7, 1988 Eagle Rock man charges LAPD discrimination By Charles Cooper An Eagle Rock resident filed suit against the Los Angeles Police Department, Chief Daryl Gates and two named officers, asking for $1 million in damages because of alleged discrimination against Latino officers. Ernest F. Valdez, who served in the LAPD from 1980 to 1985, named, in addition to Gates, two former Northeast police commanders, Chester Spencer and Robert Taylor. Spencer is a commander of employee relatioons, and Taylor a commander in support services. Valdez, in a wide-ranging press conference at his home, also charged that Assistant Chief Robert Vernon, generally considered to be the second ranking officer in the department, has promoted members of his fundamentalist Christian church to the point where they control important parts of the command structure of the LAPD. DENIES CHARGE Vernon, in a letter to the editor when such charges were raised earlier, said that since 1980 he has selected five adjutants and two assistant adjutants. "Not one of them has ever been a member of or attended my church," Vernon said. He listed the seven names in an attachment to the letter. Three of the names be listed were included on a list Valdez released of the "12 most influential fundamentalist Christians" who he said influenced and controlled promotions and advancements within the department. After similar charges were aired last year, Chief Daryl Gates issued a statement declaring that the department does not discriminate ' within or without of its ranks, according to press officer Lt. Fred Nixon said Friday he did not know if such a statement was ever issued. Valdez charged that Latinos are excluded from the promotional process by a series of steps, including "cheating on oral boards, predetermination of promotions" and "defiance of the rule of three whole scores." Nixon said the department follows accepted policy in its promotional process, including observance of the rule of three whole scores, which he said meant every candidate on promotional exams who falls within broad score range is considered. Nixon said there are currently three captains and one commander of Hispanic descent in the department. One of the captains, Art Lopez, commands Hollenbeck Division. Valdez released a series of tables with figures which he said showed under-representation of Latinos in ranks, compared with numbers in the population as a whole. In each rank, including Policeman II, Sergeant I and Sergeant II, Detective I, n and III, Lieutenant I and II, and Captain I, II and III, Valdez said Hispanlcs lagged far behind any parity figure. He said parity would be a range of 22.5 percent to 30 percent. Valdez said he wanted the public to be aware that he wasn't a disgruntled officer who couldn't make it in the department. He Is a graduate of Occidental College, and left a management career to join the department in 1980. BLAKE DECISION He predicted that the city will be faced with the same kind of costly remedy it faced following the Blake decision in 1972, which found the city guilty of discrimination against female police officers. Valdez said the attitude Latino officers face in the department was inherited from previous chiefs, and he released a list of Latino officers who had retired from the department since 1947, to refute any statement that there were no officers to be promoted in previous years. He was joined at the press conference by Sergeant Don Jackson of the Hawthorne Police Department, representing an organization called Law Enforcement Officers for Justice. Jackson said he endorsed Valdez's statements, and said the same kind of systematic discrimination exists against bia,qkj police officers, though more hdve^ been promoted to command ranks. Valdez said he has hot received the support so far of Hispanic organizations such as the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund. He said he is also waiting for promised hearings on his charges from Councilman Richard Alatorre's police, fire and public safety committee. it*
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Title | Why? The L.A.P.D. can't "Just say no!" to "discrimination!", 1991, p. 31 |
Format (imt) | image/tiff |
Physical access | Contact: Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library, Libraries, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189; specol@dots.usc.edu |
Full text | THE COMMUNITY FOUNDED UPON A ROCK" SATURDAY, MAY 7, 1988 Eagle Rock man charges LAPD discrimination By Charles Cooper An Eagle Rock resident filed suit against the Los Angeles Police Department, Chief Daryl Gates and two named officers, asking for $1 million in damages because of alleged discrimination against Latino officers. Ernest F. Valdez, who served in the LAPD from 1980 to 1985, named, in addition to Gates, two former Northeast police commanders, Chester Spencer and Robert Taylor. Spencer is a commander of employee relatioons, and Taylor a commander in support services. Valdez, in a wide-ranging press conference at his home, also charged that Assistant Chief Robert Vernon, generally considered to be the second ranking officer in the department, has promoted members of his fundamentalist Christian church to the point where they control important parts of the command structure of the LAPD. DENIES CHARGE Vernon, in a letter to the editor when such charges were raised earlier, said that since 1980 he has selected five adjutants and two assistant adjutants. "Not one of them has ever been a member of or attended my church," Vernon said. He listed the seven names in an attachment to the letter. Three of the names be listed were included on a list Valdez released of the "12 most influential fundamentalist Christians" who he said influenced and controlled promotions and advancements within the department. After similar charges were aired last year, Chief Daryl Gates issued a statement declaring that the department does not discriminate ' within or without of its ranks, according to press officer Lt. Fred Nixon said Friday he did not know if such a statement was ever issued. Valdez charged that Latinos are excluded from the promotional process by a series of steps, including "cheating on oral boards, predetermination of promotions" and "defiance of the rule of three whole scores." Nixon said the department follows accepted policy in its promotional process, including observance of the rule of three whole scores, which he said meant every candidate on promotional exams who falls within broad score range is considered. Nixon said there are currently three captains and one commander of Hispanic descent in the department. One of the captains, Art Lopez, commands Hollenbeck Division. Valdez released a series of tables with figures which he said showed under-representation of Latinos in ranks, compared with numbers in the population as a whole. In each rank, including Policeman II, Sergeant I and Sergeant II, Detective I, n and III, Lieutenant I and II, and Captain I, II and III, Valdez said Hispanlcs lagged far behind any parity figure. He said parity would be a range of 22.5 percent to 30 percent. Valdez said he wanted the public to be aware that he wasn't a disgruntled officer who couldn't make it in the department. He Is a graduate of Occidental College, and left a management career to join the department in 1980. BLAKE DECISION He predicted that the city will be faced with the same kind of costly remedy it faced following the Blake decision in 1972, which found the city guilty of discrimination against female police officers. Valdez said the attitude Latino officers face in the department was inherited from previous chiefs, and he released a list of Latino officers who had retired from the department since 1947, to refute any statement that there were no officers to be promoted in previous years. He was joined at the press conference by Sergeant Don Jackson of the Hawthorne Police Department, representing an organization called Law Enforcement Officers for Justice. Jackson said he endorsed Valdez's statements, and said the same kind of systematic discrimination exists against bia,qkj police officers, though more hdve^ been promoted to command ranks. Valdez said he has hot received the support so far of Hispanic organizations such as the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund. He said he is also waiting for promised hearings on his charges from Councilman Richard Alatorre's police, fire and public safety committee. it* |
Filename | indep-box22-17-17~31.tif |
Archival file | Volume73/indep-box22-17-17~31.tif |