A female LAPD officer who alleges she was harassed by a commanding officer who was formerly a boyfriend, and who placed a physical tracker on her car, then discriminated and retaliated against her after she filed a report about the device, brought a government claim against the city today.
Despite assurances that the unidentified woman's internal complaint, and the investigation findings regarding ex-Assistant Chief Alfred Labrada would be kept confidential, the claimant was subjected to harassment as word of the complaint leaked around the department, prompting her to take a medical leave, the claim states.
"Regardless of the former romantic relationship between my client and Chief Labrada, surreptitiously tracking someone's location is illegal--you can't put an electronic dog collar on a person," claimant's attorney Matthew McNicholas said.
"As a result of her reporting the unlawful tracking, she has been subjected to repeated victim blaming and retaliation by the officers in the department."
A claim is a possible forerunner of a lawsuit. A representative for the City Attorney's Office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.