Ousted Newport Chief Charges a Conspiracy : Scandal: Campbell claims city officials want to gut Police Department command. He vows to clear name.

Fired Police Chief Arb Campbell on Wednesday called his termination the disastrous result of a conspiracy at City Hall that used unfounded complaints about sexual harassment as an excuse to gut the Police Department’s high command and fulfill the new city manager’s ambitions.

“I don’t mean for this to sound like a wisecrack, but the inmates are now running the asylum,” Campbell said, one day after his ouster by Newport Beach City Manager Kevin J. Murphy.

In his first public appearance since September, when he became embroiled in a sexual harassment lawsuit, Campbell vowed to aggressively pursue efforts to clear his name and called for a special “blue-ribbon commission” to thoroughly investigate the department.

The former chief already has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city of improperly relieving him of command and conducting an internal investigation of sexual harassment that amounted to a “witch hunt.”

Murphy, who became city manager about nine months ago, dismissed as “ridiculous” and “without foundation” Campbell’s assertion that there was a broad conspiracy by city leaders and ranking members of the Police Department to get rid of him. He said Wednesday that the city’s internal investigation, which led to Campbell’s undoing, was prompted by legitimate concerns about sexual harassment.

Campbell appeared at the Santa Ana offices of attorney Bruce D. Praet, who is defending him and Capt. Anthony J. Villa Jr. against the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by 10 current and former female employees of the Police Department.

The city began taking steps last Friday to terminate Villa, who was singled out by most of the women plaintiffs as the chief culprit, while Campbell was accused of condoning Villa’s allegedly sexually offensive behavior.

Also present at the news conference was Jeff Epstein, Campbell’s attorney in his lawsuit against the city.

Campbell and his counsel spoke for more than an hour to the media on the condition that they would only address his firing, the sexual harassment lawsuit against him and the impact it has had on the former chief’s family.

“The public needs to hear that Arb Campbell is a human being and to see what he and his family has been through,” Praet said. “This is Christmas, and there is no gold watch, no plaque and no pats on the back after 27 years with the department.”

Although his doctors have said he is suffering from high blood pressure and severe depression and too ill to testify in a federal court case in Los Angeles, Campbell, 53, looked tanned and fit in a gray suit as he fielded questions from broadcast and print reporters.

“I think that it’s unfortunate to be terminated after 27 years at the department without any explanation,” he said.

“All of a sudden I am not capable of doing my job anymore. It’s three days before Christmas and I am not allowed to return to my office. This is the first time I have been without a paycheck in 27 years. It’s not a very happy Christmas.”

Murphy relieved Campbell without stating a reason Tuesday afternoon, about a week after a preliminary report from the city’s internal investigation indicated that there was a sexually hostile work environment at the Police Department.

Under the City Charter, the police chief serves as an “at-will” employee, which gives the city manager broad power to remove department heads without stating why.

“We followed the letter of the law for at-will employees,” said Murphy, pointing out that Campbell still has the right to a hearing to present his side to the city.

But Campbell and his attorneys said they were disappointed by the way the city manager fired him without a stated reason and without proving the sexual harassment and discrimination charges that have surrounded him and Capt. Villa, 47.

Reiterating the claims in his federal lawsuit, Campbell accused some of his immediate subordinates at the department, members of the City Council and the city manager of orchestrating his ouster using complaints about sexual harassment as a way to fulfill City Manager Murphy’s political agenda.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “If they had conducted a fair and independent investigation, I would have been cleared and none of this would have happened.”

He also said Murphy wanted to fire him because Murphy thought the Police Department had put him under surveillance with helicopter patrols and wiretaps after he was appointed city manager.

“All of this has been rather confusing,” Campbell said, “but I found out from reliable sources that high-ranking members of the department didn’t like my management style and informed the city manager, who--out of fear and paranoia about surveillance and wiretaps--used the women’s complaints as a vehicle to get rid of me.”

“That’s ridiculous. There’s no foundation to that charge,” Murphy said. “I’m not worried about surveillance and wiretaps. Phones are swept periodically at City Hall as they are at the Police Department as a routine security measure. But I’m not paranoid about this.”

Turning to allegations that he and Capt. Villa raped dispatcher Peri Ropke at a drunken party 11 years ago, Campbell said the charge was upsetting and untrue.

Attorney Praet then questioned Ropke’s credibility, saying that he is looking into whether Ropke filed a false police report accusing a Torrance officer of trying to rape her while she worked at that city’s department. On another occasion, he said, she bought herself flowers and a ring to make it appear that she was engaged when, in fact, she was not.

Overall, Campbell defended his record as chief, saying that all his evaluations have been outstanding and that there have been no complaints about him from the community. He also said he could effectively run the department if he were reinstated today, despite the overwhelming no-confidence vote against Campbell that the department’s rank and file issued in October.

“I’d like to think I was fair and consistent and did not operate with any double standards,” Campbell said. “These statements that there was a reign of terror are coming from people who were disciplined, demoted or not promoted.”

Murphy said he doubted that Campbell could successfully return to duty given the no-confidence vote. “The officers and the City Council don’t have confidence in him, and the department would have no credibility under his leadership,” he said.

To help remedy the entire situation, Campbell and his attorneys called for a special “blue-ribbon commission” that would thoroughly and independently investigate sexual harassment charges at the department and the way the city has handled the situation.

They likened the panel to the Christopher Commission, which investigated allegations of brutality by Los Angeles police officers after the controversial beating of Rodney G. King.

“We want them to investigate the manner in which the city handled this and . . . the allegations of wrongdoing involving other employees at the department,” Epstein said. “What we are talking about is a more thorough investigation.”

Campbell further denied that he knew about allegations of sexual harassment involving Villa and did nothing to stop the alleged abuse. “This is absolutely absurd,” Campbell said. “My wife is an officer; I have raised four daughters. I’m not going to stand around and watch someone sexually harass someone else.”