Face It Squarely--Deal With It : Let the ugly facts out in the Newport police sexual harassment scandal

At a time when the U.S. Senate is planning an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment against Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon and the memory of the riveting Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas hearings remains fresh, the Newport Beach City Council seems oddly out of sync when it says it is merely “saddened” by the allegations of sexual harassment in the Police Department. Saddened? Where is the council’s outrage about the trouble in the department? Where are the promises to clean it up?

None of this was forthcoming from the members of the City Council who responded to lawyer Harold A. Bridges’ initial statement on what he had found in interviewing 169 people. Bridges was hired by the city to assess the Police Department after four current and former female police employees filed a lawsuit in September. They alleged they were sexually harassed by Capt. Anthony Villa and that Police Chief Arb Campbell did nothing to stop it. The number of plaintiffs now stands at 10, including a woman who claims she was raped by Campbell and Villa after a 1981 police party.

Bridges’ report said a court might find that sexual harassment had occurred, though he did not say who might be involved. His report in some ways raised more questions than it answered. For example, Bridges suggested that a court might find that some of the complainants had themselves engaged in sexually harassing conduct; he did not specify what.

However, Bridges made clear--even without determining the truth of the specific accusations--that there is something seriously wrong.

In their hesitant response, City Council members may be indicating their fear of compromising the city’s legal position. This conflict between the council’s duty to clean up the department and its need to defend against a lawsuit is a good reason there should have been an investigation by an outside agency.

The City Council’s reluctance to confront the problem is disturbing. Allegations of sexual harassment--by law enforcement officers, no less--deserve a stronger response.