Some current and former members of the Pasadena Police Department have filed a lawsuit against the agency alleging discrimination and retaliation.
Two former officers held a press conference outside the police station on Thursday.
“I have been severely retaliated against. I have been removed from special assignments,” said Carolyn Gordon, a former lieutenant in the department. “I’ve been attacked too, to the point where I was told on the way down that I was a crybaby.”
Gordon and six others alleged in the lawsuit that they were victims of assault, racial slurs, retaliation and discrimination by other police officers. At the news conference, former officer Omar Elhosseiny added to Gordon’s allegations, claiming he faced retaliation after reporting that the officer had been drinking at a party while on duty.
In response to the lawsuit, city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said the department takes complaints against officers seriously.
“Personnel complaints against every Pasadena police officer are thoroughly and fairly investigated,” she said. “All personnel in our ranks will be held accountable for their actions when warranted. We have confidence in the legal process.”
Another police officer claimed his training officer paid a suspect to fight him.
The Pasadena Police Officers Association, which represents the ranks of sergeants and below in the department, called the accusation “patently false” and said it happened 20 years ago. The union claimed that the officer who made the accusation resigned rather than be fired, and the training officer was acquitted.
“The inflammatory rhetoric of an opportunistic advisor will not prevail,” the union said in a statement. “The Pasadena Police Officers Association is committed to due process – fair and just treatment for ALL our members.”
Last November, Officer Taisyn Crutchfield filed a lawsuit against the department, making similar allegations of discrimination revenge. She was represented by the same firm that handled Gordon’s case.
