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Gay Ex-Cop Sues Department |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 16 September 2004 |
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current issue: September 16, 2004
Gay Ex-Cop Sues Department
Former Santa Barbara police officer Ruben Lino, who resigned in September 2003 to continue his education and later tried to regain his job, sued the City of Santa Barbara charging that he was harassed and denied his job back because he is gay.
Lino, who was not openly gay when he joined the department, charged that after his sexual orientation became known, he had a hard time getting back-up on a timely basis while making traffic stops. He also said he was given the cold shoulder by several commanders and other officers.
According to the lawsuit filed by attorney Janean Acevedo Daniels, Lino was effectively "outed" after signing a sworn statement about anti-gay bias within the department in connection with a discrimination lawsuit filed by a gay public works employee, Brad Edwards, who claimed he'd been denied a key promotion based on his sexual preference.
In his deposition, Lino complained that two specific officers repeatedly made homophobic and derisive remarks about gay men they encountered in the course of their law enforcement duties, calling them "sick freaks" who were "all going to burn [in hell] anyway."
Daniels said Lino's own sexual preference was made public when Chief Cam Sanchez met with him to discuss Lino's sworn statement. Soon after, Lino, whose history with the department dated back 12 years to his service as a volunteer scout, noticed he wasn't getting quick back-up.
After three years as a sworn officer, Lino resigned in September 2003 to continue his education. Chief Sanchez, claims Lino, told him then that he could always have his job back. When family matters scuttled his educational ambitions, Lino re-applied for his old job. His application was rejected, however, because he reportedly had a bad credit history.
Lino's attorney acknowledged there were problems, but said his credit history was bad when the department hired him in the first place. The only thing that had changed, she said, was that Lino's sexual orientation was known, and that he'd complained about fellow officers.
Chief Sanchez declined to comment on the case. Police spokesperson Lt. Paul McCaffrey noted that before Lino filed his lawsuit, the city had hired an outside investigator to review his complaint. That investigator, McCaffrey said, found there was no basis in Lino's charges.
- Nick Welsh
Source: http://www.independent.com/news/now930.htm
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