3 Orange Police Officers Fired in Sex Inquiry

Three Orange Police Department officers have been fired after an internal investigation into allegations that they engaged in sexual misconduct with two women while on patrol duty, Police Chief John R. Robertson said Thursday.

The actions, Robertson said, were not illegal and involved unidentified women not connected with the Police Department. He would not name the officers, who learned of their firings Tuesday, nor elaborate on the alleged misconduct.

“These are individual acts. It does not involve a rape. What it involves is very poor judgment,” Robertson said. It involves “relationships that should have been left off duty. . . . What they were doing was legal, just not appropriate when paid by the City of Orange.”

The firings come at a time when a number of Orange County police agencies are dealing with allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct by officers.

Two weeks ago, the Sheriff’s Department began an investigation into the hiring of a stripper for a party two years ago at the department’s training academy in Garden Grove. Top academy officials face disciplinary action for allowing the performance.

In Irvine, four current and former women employees of the Police Department sued the city, the police chief and three other supervisors alleging unwanted touching and sexual harassment. That suit is pending.

Irvine police officials also investigated allegations that male officers had formed a sex club and had sex with women in their patrol cars. The internal investigation found no evidence of such a club.

In Newport Beach, a group of women filed a sexual harassment lawsuit a year ago, naming Arb Campbell, then police chief, and Anthony Villa, then a police captain, who have since retired. That suit is pending and has been amended to include a third police supervisor, Sgt. Trent Harris.

In Anaheim, Sgt. Jerry R. King was placed on paid administrative leave in May amid allegations that he verbally sexually harassed some women who worked for him. Police have not disclosed the results of their completed investigation.

The internal investigation in Orange began on Aug. 9 after Robertson received an anonymous note outlining allegations against some officers, the chief said. The offenses allegedly took place beginning in about January. The chief said that in each case, an officer and a woman were alone.

“Naturally with the scope of the investigation, with the number of people investigated, it was disruptive for the department,” Robertson said. “Naturally, it had ramifications for morale. This is a damage to the department. But I tell you what: We’re going to recover from it. This is an anomaly, and we hire from the human race.”

The same investigation unexpectedly uncovered unrelated misdeeds by four other Orange patrol officers, Robertson said. Those officers each face discipline ranging from five days suspension to a written reprimand, he said.

Police Department officials said they expect that some of the seven officers will appeal their punishments, Robertson said. Under department policy, the officers have 10 days from Tuesday to appeal, the chief said.

The district attorney’s office is aware of the police internal investigation and will probably receive a copy of the department’s report next week, Robertson said.

Councilman Mike Spurgeon said the City Council was informed about the internal investigation about three weeks ago during a closed session.

“We will not make any comment about this,” he said Thursday night.

Councilman Fred L. Barrera said this is the first such incident in the Orange Police Department.

Times staff writer Thuan Le and correspondent Martin Miller contributed to this story.