Gay Police Officer Claims Discrimination

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA - A former Monrovia police officer is suing the department, its chief and other employees for allegedly discriminating against him because he is gay.
Michael Solarez, 38, spent seven years with the Monrovia Police Department before he was terminated in March 2005.
For many years no one knew he was gay, Solarez said, until he confidentially told Chief Roger Johnson in an attempt to protect fellow gay officers from hazing. Johnson is accused in the lawsuit of making Solarez's sexuality public, and then finding ways to terminate him.
Solarez says hazing and harassing gay employees was common at the agency.
"It created a very hostile environment," Solarez said. "A couple times it was very devastating. When I first got outed and people in the community started finding out, I got very upset. I wasn't suicidal, but about that low."
Attorney Scott Tiedemann, who represents the defendants in the case, denies all the allegations in the complaint, which was filed in December. As the case progresses, information will be disclosed that's favorable to the Police Department, he said.
It's not surprising Solarez would make salacious accusations in his lawsuit, Tiedemann said.
"Plaintiffs can say just about anything they want, and I've got to turn around and respect their privacy rights," Tiedemann said.
Monrovia Police Department leaders have been the subject of widespread criticism by the rank and file of late.
An anonymous survey was conducted March 17 by the Monrovia Police Officers Association in preparation for upcoming salary negotiations. Of 32 officers who responded, 19 said they were considering leaving while 10 said they were disgruntled with the executives.
Johnson said the survey was being used as leverage for negotiations.
According to Solarez's lawsuit, Officer Nick Manfredi repeatedly harassed Solarez and other officers believed to be gay. Manfredi allegedly gave gay officers feminine nicknames and said they walked in a strange manner. He is accused of saying a female officer he thought was a lesbian should be removed from her position.
"Those allegations are completely false," Manfredi said.
A sergeant and a captain in the department also are accused of creating a hostile work environment. The sergeant, according to the lawsuit, created derogatory nicknames for gay officers, and during briefing, drew lewd pictures of officers he believed to be gay.
The captain regaled Solarez, against the officer's wishes, with stories about his sexual escapades with women, the complaint said. He also is accused of saying "no openly gay person will ever be promoted within the Monrovia Police Department."
Neither the sergeant or captain could be reached for comment.
Solarez said there were about seven gay or lesbian police officers at the department during his years of employment; there are 59 sworn positions at the department.
They were a close-knit group, but not everyone knew they were gay, he said. Jokes and slurs about homosexuality were common, and made whether an officer was actually gay or not, he said. He was also hazed, the lawsuit said.
According to Solarez, he received commendations and good performance reviews while at the department. He was terminated, he said, for an assortment of minor procedural violations - including filing a report late, leaving his keys in a patrol car overnight, and a minor accident during a pursuit. Other officers were not investigated or punished for such infractions, he said.
Solarez said he recently had surgery and has been out on worker's compensation. He hopes to catch on with another law enforcement agency in the near future.
from Pasadena Star News