2 Officers Cleared of Tryst Allegations

A male and a female Oceanside police officer who were the subjects of an internal department investigation following rumors that they had had sex with each other on the job were cleared of the allegations.

But Officer Candice Baker and Patrol Sgt. Paul Simpson on Wednesday asserted that, in the process of clearing them, the department ruined their reputations and careers.

Baker, Simpson and their three lawyers also accused the department of operating without adequate leadership and being out of control. Sexual harassment of women officers inside the department, they added, is routine and institutionalized.

The allegations were leveled during a news conference held inside the police station after Baker and Simpson were informed of the results of the yearlong investigation into their alleged misconduct.

Sgt. Frank Bruckner, who headed the investigation that reportedly cost the department $20,000, refused to comment on the charges.

Baker and Simpson were investigated because of rumors that the two officers had been observed having sex in a patrol car behind a K mart store last year. A variation of the rumor was that Baker and Simpson, who was her patrol sergeant at the time, were caught in bed by Simpson’s pregnant wife.

In fact, according to the two officers, they were on vacation in different states on opposite sides of the country with their respective spouses when they were supposedly seen enjoying each other’s company.

Simpson attributed the rumors to institutionalized sexism among male officers, who tried to denigrate Baker and became incensed when Simpson stood up for her.

Both officers were upset that after the yearlong investigation, during which more than 50 people were questioned, the department was still unable to pinpoint who started the rumors. The other puzzling aspect, they said, was that although every officer questioned admitted to having heard the rumors, not one could recall who told them.

“My career and my reputation are ruined,” Simpson said. “Am I going to come to work tomorrow? Yes. But I’ll never be promoted.”

Baker contends that her life is in danger every time she goes out on patrol because she cannot trust her fellow officers to cover her. There are many ways, Simpson agreed, that an officer could be “isolated” by peers.

Baker, who has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the department, said she recently filed a complaint with the city personnel department after six female officers complained to her that they were forced to accept poor work assignments and routine harassment from male co-workers.

Simpson’s attorney, Craig Barkacs, said a lawsuit on Simpson’s behalf is being readied.