Unnamed City Officials Accused of Telling Chief to Target Blacks

A former acting police chief has alleged that a year ago two City Council members ordered him to develop an anti-gang program targeting blacks.

Police Cmdr. Gary Biggerstaff said at a council meeting Monday that the council members, whom he did not identify, wanted a program that would “apply special enforcement and harassment of individuals of Afro-American ethnic background.”

But all City Council members said Biggerstaff’s accusations are false, and could be a retaliation against the council that passed him over when the city picked a new police chief in January.

“I sense a little sour grapes here,” said Mayor Anthony R. Selvaggi. “He’s unhappy, that’s what’s it all about. I’m disappointed that a member of our police force would make these charges, which are absolutely false.”

Biggerstaff’s allegation came as he spoke against a recently adopted city policy that designates management employees hired after July 1, 1993, as “at will” employees who may be fired by the city manager at any time.

Although he is not affected, Biggerstaff said the policy removes protection from management employees, who may not agree with some city policies.

Biggerstaff said that when he refused the “unethical and immoral” request a year ago, he was subjected to political harassment, forcing him to file for stress disability early this year.

City Manager Robert C. Dunek said that Biggerstaff was acting police chief from June to December last year. In January, the council selected Michael J. Skogh, former police chief of Manhattan Beach, as new police chief over Biggerstaff, the other finalist for the job.

Skogh then reorganized the Police Department, and assigned Biggerstaff to head the administration and investigation division, changing his rank to captain.

Biggerstaff has been out on sick leave since January and has filed a pending worker’s compensation claim against the city.

“Since the time of this meeting, and the time of (my) refusal to cooperate in this conspiracy, I have been subjected to political and administrative harassment,” Biggerstaff said.

He did not say how he was harassed, but he said he is willing to testify if an investigation is conducted, either by the Orange County Grand Jury or the state attorney general’s office.

Councilman Ronald Bates, who was mayor at the time, said the meeting to which Biggerstaff was referring was a general discussion about the gang problem in Los Alamitos following a county report that some gangs may be operating in the city.