Former Burbank officer wants records purged, retirement badge
Former Deputy Police Chief William Taylor, who was awarded nearly $1.3 million in a discrimination lawsuit, is asking a judge to force the city to purge his personnel records of any reference to wrongdoing and that he be issued a retirement badge reflecting that he left the department in good standing.
A jury ruled 9 to 3 that Taylor was demoted and eventually fired in retaliation for standing up for minority officers and raising concerns about internal problems within the department.
In his motion heard in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, Taylor asks that the city notify the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training that his termination be changed to an honorable retirement.
Along with the retirement badge and identification card comes a permit to carry a concealed weapon, according to the motion.
“If plaintiff is not provided with these items, he will have less than his peers and his ability to find work in the future will be irreparably harmed,” the motion states.
Taylor was one of 10 police officers fired in 2010 for alleged misconduct related to an investigation into how police handled a robbery at Porto’s Bakery in 2007.
Future employment opportunities are also behind the request for a purge of Taylor’s personnel file of “false and slanderous information” in the investigation, as well as notification to the state agencies.
“Otherwise, [Taylor] will never be able to obtain employment in the future with any law enforcement agency or, for that matter any management position, which decides to conduct a thorough background investigation,” according to the motion.
The city countered with a filing outlining several reasons to not grant Taylor’s motion, including the fact the jury’s decision covered future lost income.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Segal took Taylor’s motion under advisement Tuesday, but did not immediately issue a ruling. A hearing for the city’s motion seeking a new trial in the case is scheduled for June 6.
