RTD Police Chief Denies Wrongdoing Charges

RTD Police Chief James Burgess, faced with a series of allegations of wrongdoing and mismanagement by a former subordinate, acknowledged Friday that he personally approved the hiring of his daughter and nephew and stayed as a guest at an RTD contractor’s Palm Springs condominium.

While admitting some of his actions could appear to be conflicts of interest, the chief said in a telephone interview that he has done nothing improper and welcomes an investigation that was ordered last week by the Southern California Rapid Transit District Board of Directors.

The RTD inspector general will delve into charges of ticket fixing, discrimination, nepotism and mismanagement leveled against the chief by Nicholas Granados, who worked for 13 years on the transit security force. The charges were detailed in a 12-page letter sent to board members, local elected officials and reporters.

Charges ‘Absurd’

Burgess called Granados’ charges of misconduct “absurd” and said they were being made by someone who had failed to make a promotion.

In an interview, Granados, who has filed a discrimination complaint against the district and now sells real estate, acknowledged that he was disturbed about not receiving a promotion. But he said he acted because he and other minorities were victims of bias. “Every time I would try to get promoted they would raise up the standards,” he said.

Burgess strongly denied any racial bias.

But the transit chief, while disputing Granados’ conclusion, admitted that some of his facts were accurate. Burgess acknowledged that he urged his daughter to apply for an opening in his department and later signed papers to hire her. Under the district’s anti-nepotism policy, close relatives of top district executives and board members are prohibited from being hired anywhere in the district.

Not Covered by Policy

But while Burgess reports directly to the district’s general manager and sits in on executive staff meetings, he is not covered by the policy because he is technically only a department head, RTD officials said.

Burgess also acknowledged personally approving the hiring of his nephew as a district security guard. In both cases, he said, he was not involved in the screening and evaluation of the candidates.

Burgess acknowledged that he twice stayed at the Palm Springs condominium of Doug Robinson, who heads Lincoln Security Services, an RTD contractor that Burgess’ office supervises. He said he and Robinson are longtime friends. They shared expenses on the trips, although Burgess said he did not pay for his own accommodations.

Robinson’s firm, which he praised, has not received any special treatment, Burgess said. Granados also charged that Burgess ordered a batch of parking tickets issued at the El Monte bus terminal voided to cover up the special treatment given a district secretary. Burgess acknowledged that a secretary who received a ticket alerted him, but he said he ordered them voided because they were issued in error.