A Solano County deputy sheriff facing termination for his handling of a possible child molest complaint instead has walked away from the case with nothing more than a letter of reprimand. Deputy Thomas Gilson and another deputy were dispatched last May to interview a woman reporting “something funny” in the […]
Following a lengthy arbitration, the disciplines imposed on Berkeley police officers Henry Wellington and William Thornton were overturned. After vindicating these officers, Arbitrator Paul Staudohar reinstated Wellington to his former position and rescinded the 10-day suspension imposed on Thornton. Thornton was also reinstated to his position as a field training […]
When he completely overturned a 10-day suspension imposed on San Rafael Police Officer James Strong, Arbitrator Leo Kanowitz acknowledged that off-duty officers are sometimes compelled to make arrests for the safety of the community; even though they are out of their jurisdiction and even though it would have been easier […]
The liability associated with sexual harassment claims has caused many police agencies to adopt the “sustain, suspend and arbitrate” approach whenever such allegations are raised. Since both California and federal law require an employer to take “prompt and effective remedial action” for complaints of sexual harassment, agencies will often ignore […]
Petersen Law Firm attorney, Carmen Brock was recently successful in obtaining a significant reduction in discipline for an Alhambra firefighter/paramedic accused of threatening a member of the public. During the evening of September 3, 1996, paramedic Scott Burnside and his co-workers responded to a medical aid call where a male […]