ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Doing the Right Thing

The situation in Newport Beach seems to get muddier by the day, but one thing is clear: City Manager Kevin J. Murphy did the right thing when he put Police Chief Arb Campbell and Capt. Anthony R. Villa on paid leave. The action was taken pending the outcome of a lawsuit accusing the two of rape and sexual harassment.

Accordingly, a police support group of local businessmen and residents that calls itself the 10-4 Club--some members of which have close ties to Campbell--should stop pressuring the city to reinstate Campbell prematurely.

The city was thrown into turmoil in September when four current and former female members of the Police Department alleged that they were sexually harassed by Villa and that Campbell, a close friend of Villa, had condoned his behavior.

Last month, the situation worsened when a fifth plaintiff, a dispatcher, was added to the lawsuit. The woman made an extremely serious accusation--that she had been raped by Campbell and Villa 11 years ago after a drunken party at an Orange County landfill. In view of the allegations, Murphy had little choice but to put both Campbell and Villa on leave.

The Times has already suggested that the city invite an outside agency or commission--perhaps the Orange County Grand Jury--to investigate the original allegations. To date that hasn’t happened, but it should. An outside evaluation of the facts could ease tensions while the lawsuit is being resolved. Should the matter come to trial, a judge or jury, of course, will weigh the veracity of the allegations. But that may take years. An outside evaluation is also needed because of concerns that the city’s investigation might not be objective because of its financial interest in the outcome of the lawsuit, in which the women ask for $200,000 each in damages.

As a practical matter, it is hard to imagine how Campbell could function as chief at this point. Officers in the 148-member department who gathered late last week to talk about the lawsuit registered an overwhelming 127-13 vote of no confidence against the chief. Could there be any stronger statement that the officers cannot accept Campbell as their leader during this tumultuous time?

One good thing is that the City Council seems to be standing behind Murphy--who has been on the job only six months--in his decision to place Campbell and Villa on leave. Given the circumstances, the 10-4 Club’s pressure to reinstate Campbell can only be viewed as meddling. Contrary to what some members of the group asserted, Murphy made no decision about whether the allegations against Campbell and Villa were true when he put them on paid leave.

He simply stepped in forcefully to calm the waters--exactly as he should have.