GLENDALE ANC VOICES CONCERN ON OFFICERS’ DISCRIMINATION SUIT
Asbarez
Feb 3rd, 2010
GLENDALE, CA-Leaders and activists from the Armenian National Committee
of Glendale on Tuesday attended a session of the Glendale City
council where they voiced concern over the city police department’s
discrimination and harassment of five Armenian police officers. Below
is the statement they read to the five-person city council.
On January 20, 2010, four current and one former sworn officers of
the Glendale Police Department Filed a Federal Civil Rights lawsuit
in Federal Court alleging Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
on the basis of National Origin and Ancestry. The allegations made in
the complaint are both disturbing and appalling. Even if a fraction of
these allegations in the complaint are established in a court of law,
the City of Glendale has a long way to go on the way to becoming the
city that we all envision and deserve.
The Armenian National Committee of Glendale is gravely concerned about
the statement made by the City Attorney, Mr. Scott Howard, immediately
following the filing of the Complaint. According to the Glendale News
Press article of January 25, 2010, City Attorney Scott Howard stated,
"There are many allegations in the complaint, which are absolutely,
utterly false." We would expect that the City Attorney’s office at
the very least, conduct a preliminary investigation before opining
about the merits of serious allegations such as those contained in
the complaint.
The Glendale Police Department has a track record of lawsuits stemming
from discrimination and improper conduct by its officers, many of
which have resulted in settlements or jury verdicts against the City,
and even punitive damages against individual police officers. The 2009
jury verdict and $1.58 million judgment, including attorney fees,
in the Ovasapian v. City of Glendale case, is the latest example in
this now long list of cases resulting in adverse court decisions.
The City’s inability and unwillingness to conduct meaningful and
objective investigations into the merits of such complaints and
police misconduct in the past, have resulted in many millions of
dollars which Glendale residents have been forced to bear.
In fact, even after an adverse judgment in the Ovasapian case, the
City Council, during public session, made a statement absolving the
Police Officers and the Department of any wrong doing and assuming
the $150,000 punitive damages award against the individual officers.
Despite the finding of malice by the Federal Court and jury, the
Glendale City Council released the following statement during its
October 27, 2009 meeting "We recognize that this was a very unfortunate
incident, however… we find that the officers acted in good faith,
without actual malice and an apparent best interest of the city of
Glendale." In effect, the City Council condoned the wrongful acts
of these police officers. Not surprisingly, both officers are named
defendants in the current law suit.
In the months to come, the judicial process will be guided by a
Federal District Court Judge and the outcome decided by a jury. In the
meantime, It is very important that officials of the City of Glendale
and the Glendale Police Department refrain from drawing conclusions
about this lawsuit, until there is a full investigation and due
process. It is also very important that as the judicial process runs
its course, the police officers presenting these charges be shielded
from any direct or indirect workplace harassment or retaliation. The
Armenian National Committee of Glendale will be closely monitoring
this case with the expectation that there will be full transparency
in the investigation, and the confidence that the judicial system
will reveal the facts and lead to an ultimate fair outcome.