2 Huntington Park Officers Fired Over Misconduct

The Huntington Park Police Department has fired two officers after an internal investigation launched last month uncovered alleged misconduct by the former members of an elite enforcement team, the city’s interim police chief said.

Officer Keith Walker, 33, a seven-year veteran of the force, was fired effective Thursday for overtime fraud. Investigators said that during a six-month period in 1992, Walker, a former school Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer, falsely submitted payroll time sheets for at least $4,000 in classroom visits that he never made, Chief Bill Reed said.

“One thing I cannot tolerate is theft,” Reed said. “If an officer is dishonest, he has got to go.”

Sgt. Robert Mercado, 48, a 16-year veteran, was dismissed July 21 after investigators found that he had failed to follow department procedure on several occasions, Reed said. Investigators allege that Mercado falsified a police report to cover up the accidental discharge of a shotgun by an Explorer, a member of a department-sponsored youth group. In addition, investigators found nine parking citations in Mercado’s desk drawer that had never been processed, Reed said.

Neither Mercado nor Walker could be reached for comment. Their attorney, Diane Marchant, said her clients were being punished for their association with retiring Police Chief Frank Sullivan, who was placed on administrative leave in May and stepped down amid allegations of misconduct, favoritism and discrimination within the department.

“All of the alleged misconduct occurred during the time when Sullivan was chief,” Marchant said. “(The department) is cleaning house. They got rid of Sullivan and they just want to get rid of anyone who was viewed as being affiliated with Sullivan.”

Both men will appeal the city’s decision to the county Civil Service Commission, she said.

The internal inquiry that led to the dismissals stemmed from allegations in a sexual harassment claim filed against the department earlier this year by Officer Gina Scolari. The investigation has targeted at least six officers who were members of the Crime Impact Team, which was created in 1990 to handle drug, gang and other special assignments. The eight-member unit, which was led by Sullivan, was disbanded in 1992.

Scolari’s attorney, Jack O’Donnell, would not comment on his client’s ongoing negotiations with the city.

Reed said he would complete the investigation before deciding whether to turn criminal allegations over to the district attorney or another agency.

Half of the former Crime Impact Team members are not reporting for duty. Former unit member Sgt. D.J. Fitzgerald has taken a 30-day sick leave, citing stomach problems, Reed said. Officer Ray Martin last week requested a leave of absence of an undetermined length, citing stress-related illness.

Meanwhile, former officer Yvette Polley, who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Sullivan and the city last year, has settled her case and is scheduled to return to work Aug. 15, said City Atty. Steven N. Skolnik. Polley, who was an officer in training when she was dismissed in July, 1993, will receive about $45,000 in back pay and $25,000 for attorney’s fees.