Local News in Brief : Police Bias Suit Dismissed

A federal judge has dismissed as “poppycock” a lawsuit filed by an Inglewood police lieutenant who charged that he was denied promotion to captain because he is Latino.

U.S. District Judge A. Andrew Hauk said Lt. David Garza Jr. did not prove that the Police Department acted unjustly in denying him promotion four times since 1973.

Garza’s lawyer, Laurence Labovitz, said he will appeal.

Garza had asked the court to order his promotion to captain and to award him back pay and benefits for the higher rank. He said he had been unhappy for several years with his lack of promotion but decided to take action last June when another lieutenant was promoted to a position as acting captain in the department’s Special Enforcement Bureau.

Lt. Les Friesen, an Anglo, was chosen for the post, taking the place of Capt. Alex Augusta, who is on medical leave.

Garza said he was more qualified and had seven more years of seniority than Friesen, but department officials said Friesen was a more logical choice because he was already second in command in the Special Enforcement Bureau.

In an interview, Labovitz also charged that the Police Department planned to eliminate one captain’s position to damage Garza’s chances of being promoted in the future.

A consultant in February suggested that the department could eliminate the captain’s position, according to Assistant City Manager Norman Cravens, but no action has been taken on the proposal. The plan is designed to streamline the department and has nothing to do with Garza, Cravens said.