February 14, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Members of LA Police Internal Affairs Sue City

Six members of the Los Angeles Police Internal Affairs Group are suing the city, alleging they were wrongfully reprimanded because a deputy chief believed they would speak in support of another IA member who was vocal about alleged unlawful activities and nepotism by the command staff.

The “whistleblower retalation” lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court by officers Ricardo Ortega, Rick Harris, Andrew Garcia, Sylvia Casas, Rosalie Garcia and Efrain Flores. The suit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction preventing the LAPD from engaging in such alleged illegal conduct against employees in the future.

A representative for the City Attorney’s Office could not be immediately reached Friday.

According to the lawsuit, IAG Sgt. Cathy Marx made several reports to the LAPD’s Office of the Inspector General, which has oversight over the department’s internal disciplinary process. In October 2013, Marx told the IG that a captain had committed perjury and that an investigation should be opened, the suit states. About two months later, she informed the IG that another captain ordered her to delete portions of a log recording dates on which action was taken in a particular investigation, the suit states.

The captain mentioned by Marx was the supervisor at the time of all the plaintiffs, according to the lawsuit.

In March 2014, Marx reported to the IG and others that Chief Charlie Beck’s daughter sold her personal horse to the LAPD’s mounted unit in violation of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, the suit states.

In November 2014, Marx “reported to her superiors that the chief of police had an alcohol problem” and that a group of officers met with Beck at the Saddle & Sirloin Club, the suit states.

“Marx complained that Chief Beck’s friends were passing around naked pictures of their girlfriends and then drove city vehicles while intoxicated,” the suit states.

Instead of filing complaints and investigating the command staff officers, the deputy chief in charge of IAG “launched an investigation around certain employees assigned to Internal Affairs under the belief these employees would support the allegations of unlawful activities … made by Marx,” the suit states.

In November 2014, the deputy chief ordered an audit of the Complaint Management System commonly used by the plaintiffs “in an attempt to ensnare members of Internal Affairs that McCarthy believed could testify favorably for Marx or unfavorably against any command officer accused of unlawful activity and/or nepotism,” the suit states.

The plaintiffs were reprimanded after the audit “in an attempt to discredit or simply frighten them so that the could not testify favorably for Marx or about the unlawful activities,” according to the lawsuit.

The punishment will cause the six officers to lose some overtime and pension pay and also will negatively impact their ability to promote, the suit alleges.

The lawsuit also alleges that many of the complaints made by Marx were reported by a blogger whose reports were popular among LAPD rank-and-file officers. However, no complaints or investigations were launched despite the articles, according to the lawsuit.

Marx filed her own lawsuit against the city in October 2014 that is still pending trial. She alleges that after coming forward with her various allegations against the command staff, she was “removed from a coveted position … to a position of low importance essentially relegated to reading mail generated by mentally unstable people concerning perceived wrongs caused by the police department.”

 

122492126

Related Posts

UCLA Suspends Pro-Palestinian Student Groups Following Protest at UC Regent’s Home

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Chancellor Cites Potential Student Code Violations; Student Groups Reject Allegations UCLA has suspended two pro-Palestinian student organizations following a protest...

Flash Flood Warning Issued for Burn Areas, LAFD Officer Swept off Road by Debris

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Storm Damage Closes Pacific Coast Highway, Officials Urge Caution Not even members of the LAFD are being spared from the...

Culver City Police Investigate Disturbing Incident in Culver City Park

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Police Secure Area as Investigation Unfolds on Thursday Morning The Culver City Police Department received a call around 7:23 a.m....

Here are Your Last Minute Ideas if You Still Haven’t Planned Your Valentine’s Day Date

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Luscious Cookies, Delightful Drinks, Full Dinners at Home or In House, We’ve Got Them Okay, maybe you have been a...

Beloved Baldwin Hills Family-Owned Restaurant Post & Beam to Close After 13 Years

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Community Icon Shuts Doors as Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Redevelopment  In yet another loss for the Los Angeles culinary community,...

Santa Monica Hotel Event Space Offers Affordability, Accessibility

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Elevate Your Events with Versatile Venues and Exceptional Service Coastal stays and eclectic event spaces don’t have to be expensive....

Flour Pizzeria & Cafe to Bring Brooklyn-Style Pizza to Brentwood This Week

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Family-Owned Favorite from the Palisades to Open on San Vicente  Flour Pizzeria & Cafe, a restaurant from Pacific Palisades run...

(Video) The Willows Students Bring a 50-Foot Dragon to Life Through Art and Teamwork

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Kristy Acero, The Willows DK-4th Grade Art teacher, led her students in a large-scale, collaborative project, with each grade creating...

ART& 2025: NeueHouse Unveils Inspiring Lineup Celebrating Feminine Leadership

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Four-Day Event in Venice Beach Explores Creativity, Activism, and Cultural Impact NeueHouse has unveiled the schedule for ART& 2025, a...

LA Attorney Who Represented Rodney King Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion Scheme

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

Milton C. Grimes Ordered To Serve Time in Prison and Pay Restitution Milton C. Grimes, a longtime Los Angeles attorney,...

Canned Tuna Pulled from Shelves Over Botulism Contamination Risk

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

El Segundo Seafood Company Issues Voluntary Recall Through FDA Tri-Union Seafoods has issued a voluntary recall of certain canned tuna...

Powerful Storm to Bring Heavy Rains, Possible Debris Flow to Los Angeles

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

Officials Warn of Risks, Urge Residents to Prepare for Severe Weather A Pacific storm system is expected to bring widespread...

Retailers Impose Egg Purchase Restrictions as Supply Chain Disruptions Cause Concern

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Egg Limits Are Back – What’s Causing the Shortage? Retailers across the United States, including Costco and Trader Joe’s, have...

Donate Blood, Save Lives: Culver City Hosts Valentine’s Week Drive

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Urgent Need for Donors as Red Cross Faces Critical Blood Shortages As Valentine’s Day approaches, the Culver City Police Department...

New Bill Targets Crime in Disaster Zones – Here’s What You Need to Know

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Lawmakers Push for Tougher Penalties To Protect Vulnerable Communities California lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at cracking down...