Ex-Orange Police Worker Sues Alleging Harassment

Adding to its woes over the firing of three officers for alleged sexual misconduct, the Police Department here was sued this week by a former employee who alleges she was sexually harassed and unfairly fired from the department this summer.

Laura Bazon claims in the Orange County Superior Court suit that during her six years of employment she was frequently the target of sexist, sexually explicit and racially discriminatory remarks.

In her job as a police service officer, Bazon performed mainly administrative tasks and occasionally functioned as a Spanish translator.

Bazon alleges in the suit that a police lieutenant greeted her dressed only in his underwear when she was told to enter a watch commander’s office. The suit said two other male officers laughed.

A department spokesman said Bazon resigned her position and was not fired.

Also, Bazon alleges that while present during a conversation involving former Chief of Police Merrill Duncan and another officer, Duncan said to her: “Well, Laura, don’t you agree with me that (Latinos) are the only ones responsible for all the crimes in the city?”

Bazon is a Latina.

Duncan denies he made the comment. “That’s a bunch of baloney,” Duncan said Friday afternoon. After serving as police chief from 1968 to 1981, Duncan again acted as chief for a year in 1991 after a former chief died of cancer.

But Duncan recalled a conversation involving Bazon when he remarked that illegal immigrants accounted for roughly 70% of the arrests made in a particular portion of the city.