Legal News

Ontario PD no longer feel like somebody's watching them

By Richard Binder

The city of Ontario has reached a $2.75 million settlement with 125 of its police officers who sued over being secretly videotaped while dressing in the department's men's locker room.

The class-action lawsuit was brought on behalf of the 125 officers by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the law firm of Hadsell, Stormer, Keeny, Richardson and Renick. The settlement brings the 13-year-old case to a close and allows the city to avoid the trial scheduled to begin on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Riverside.

The trial would have determined how much to award the police officers and decide if Lloyd Scharf, who was then the police chief, authorized the video camera placed near the locker room in July 1996. Police and city officials claim the camera was placed there to catch a thief who had stole an officer's flashlight. Police later discovered the camera and a tape containing 72 hours of time-delay taping, which showed a small portion of the locker room and officers in various states of undress.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on February 20, 2009 (boomark / email).