A Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded $14.6 million to four LAPD officers who claimed they were retaliated against for reporting unsafe training conditions at the Edward M. Davis Training Facility in Granada Hills.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded $14.6 million to four Los Angeles Police Department officers who claimed they were retaliated against for raising concerns about unsafe working conditions at a firearms training facility.
The verdict, announced Thursday in the courtroom of Judge Kristin S. Escalante, found that the LAPD retaliated against Officers Craig Burns, Alex Chan, Mark Hogan and Kristine Salazar after they reported serious safety violations at the Edward M. Davis Training Facility in Granada Hills.
"These officers bravely spoke out not just for their own rights, but for the safety of the public and their fellow officers. In return, they were subjected to egregious retaliation simply because they reported misconduct and unsafe working conditions," Matthew McNicholas, lead attorney for the officers, said in a news release.
Each officer brought nearly two decades of experience to their roles. Salazar and Hogan served as senior firearms instructors, while Burns and Chan were veteran armorers responsible for maintaining, repairing and issuing firearms and tactical equipment.
The civil lawsuit was brought six years ago after claims were filed against the city of Los Angeles and the LAPD in September 2019. The suit stems from a series of safety concerns the officers raised in 2018 at the Edward M. Davis Training Facility.
Among the issues they reported were staffing shortages that left police recruits without adequate firearms training, and unsafe training protocols and working conditions, according to the lawsuits. The attorneys said those concerns were ignored.
"Instead, in 2019, following their protected whistleblower activity, the department initiated internal affairs investigations and imposed a series of adverse employment actions against all four officers, including demotions, removals from specialized assignments, and involuntary transfers," attorneys for the officers said.
In Salazar's case, the department allegedly falsely accused her of participating in a blue flu after she took a sick day due to legitimate illness, according to the lawsuit. Blue flu is a term for when a large number of police officers take coordinated sick leave as a form of protest.
"This verdict exposes a culture of retaliation designed to silence officers who report misconduct and it sends a powerful message that those who abuse authority will be held accountable," McNicholas said.
A spokesperson for the LAPD could not immediately be reached for comment. The city's attorneys had argued during the trial that the LAPD neither retaliated against nor discriminated against the officers and that they did not suffer damages.
The Edward M. Davis Training Facility serves as the LAPD's main hub for firearms and tactical instruction. LAPD documents list its address as 12001 Blucher Avenue in Granada Hills.
The verdict marks a significant civil finding that punishing officers for raising workplace safety concerns can carry a serious financial price tag for the city when retaliation is proven. The award could still face post-trial motions or an appeal, but for now the jurors have sided with four officers who said their careers were damaged after they spoke up about training safety at the department's own gun range.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, Daily News, Hoodline, McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP
This article was generated with AI assistance.