Fired Officer Gets $154,747 From Jury

A federal jury Thursday ordered the Los Angeles Police Department to pay $154,747 to an officer who was fired after he refused to submit to a drug test.

Officer Johnny Lee Jackson, 33, who had filed suit against the department, testified that about 2 a.m. on Feb. 21, 1986, police investigators came to his home and demanded a urine sample, saying he had been seen with another officer suspected of using drugs.

Jackson refused, but later underwent the test at a private hospital on the advice of the police union. No evidence of drugs was found.

Nevertheless, Jackson was fired for insubordination for not submitting to the test when ordered. In November, 1987, he was reinstated with back pay by an arbitrator who ruled that the department overstepped its authority.

Jackson sought additional damages in federal court, and after two days of deliberation, the six-member jury sided with him.

“I have been semi-vindicated through the court system,” Jackson said after the verdict.

Deputy City Atty. Arthur B. Walsh said he was disappointed. “This shows that the population is not really interested in President Bush’s war on drugs,” he said. “The department needs to protect itself and the citizenry from drugs.”

Walsh said no decision has been reached on whether to appeal.