Local News in Brief : Suit by Ex-Officer Dismissed

A $10-million lawsuit filed by a former Gardena police officer against the city and its Police Department was dismissed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles last week after a federal judge ruled that the case was filed too late.

District Judge A. Wallace Tashima ruled that the lawsuit by former Police Officer Craig Knapp was filed after a 1-year statute of limitations period allowed under state law had expired. The suit was filed in July, 1988, and Knapp retired from the department in 1986.

In the suit, Knapp’s attorneys argued that he delayed filing for two years because they had sought to resolve the case using other remedies, including workers’ compensation.

City Atty. Michael Karger said Knapp has until Nov. 7 to appeal the decision.

Knapp’s suit charged that he suffered emotional distress and has been unable to find permanent work since being labeled “trigger-happy” by supervisors. Police records indicated that Knapp was involved in seven “documented shootings” but concluded that none were improper.

On the recommendation of a county psychologist, Knapp, 40, took a disability retirement in 1984. The Gardena City Council reinstated Knapp in June, 1986, but the 12-year Police Department veteran retired two months later after finding working conditions in the department unbearable, the suit said.