Protect and serve — themselves

Active federal case about a young man who was shot and killed. Officer Kerry Bernhard is alleged to have left her patrol vehicle unlocked, running, and with the keys inside; when James Blancocotto — an unarmed young man with observable mental health and substance issues — entered the vehicle, Bernhard attacked and shot him at close distance. He died January 13, 2023. The 2011 Rufener Assessment commissioned by the City had named Bernhard specifically as a "liability" whose behavior was "unsafe" and who "spins people up for no reason" — twelve years of written notice before Blancocotto's death.

Officer Alexis Warbis and then-Corporal Kristen Parnell waited in their patrol cars at the bottom of the driveway after the spouse instructed them by phone to enter immediately. They did not knock, did not check the garage, and ultimately had Mrs. Heisler enter first; she found her husband hanging from the rafters. Both officers were retained after settlement.

Action alleging Officer Thor used law enforcement databases 45+ times to cyberstalk a private woman. Plaintiffs alleged the City had no monitoring or auditing system in place to detect database abuse, despite a history of prior lawsuits involving LSPD officers and protected databases. The Complaint describes a pattern in which the City ignored warning signs of database misuse and failed to implement safeguards, effectively allowing officers to manipulate and access sensitive records for personal purposes. Settled in Ninth Circuit mediation.

Officer Dennis Taylor was forced out for supporting Sgt. Jamison's sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit. Then-City Administrator Jan Berg notified Taylor on or about August 6, 2015 that she was recommending discharge and issuance of a Brady letter under Lexipol Policy #606 — a career-ending credibility-destruction mechanism. The Brady-letter tactic parallels the "false reporter" label LSPD later relayed about Plaintiff Bloom to other agencies.

Defamation and failure-to-defend action brought by Officer Warbis after the City publicly described his earlier conduct as "indefensible." Warbis's November 12, 2014 deposition is a primary source on LSPD culture — including Chief Celori's instruction to drop the grievance ("it's just a little letter in your file… I will have the thing removed by the end of the year") and confirmation that Jim Barnes served as Guild President at Loudermill hearings while simultaneously investigating OPS complaints.

Sgt. Julie Jamison — 17-year LSPD employee — reported sexual harassment by Detective Lambier. Chief Celori conducted the investigation in-house and found it "not sustained," then directed Jamison to work from home while Lambier worked normally. Retaliation followed: schedule changes, surprise audits, demotion to graveyard patrol. Mayor Vern Little and City Administrator Jan Berg are quoted directing the department: "No more personnel problems, no more complaints."

Detective Wachtveitl, Sgt. Brooks, Officer Warbis, and Detective Thomas allegedly directed a private citizen, Douglas Montzingo, to first enter Plaintiff Janet Moreno-Toro’s residence and search it for approximately 30 minutes before police arrived. The officers then barged through the front door of her home of 14 years, forced Mrs. Moreno and her sick nearly one-year-old baby out of the house, and searched every room for 3–4 hours — including bedrooms, bathrooms, drawers, closets, kitchen, living room, dining room, and the attached garage — while photographing her belongings. A warrant was obtained only after the initial unlawful entry and search had already occurred. Mrs. Moreno, who has no criminal record, called 911 during the incident to report that she was being harassed by police and that officers were searching her residence without a warrant.

Civil rights claim arising from a warrantless vehicle stop by Officers Steve Warbis and James Wellington under Sgt. Ron Brooks. Settled for $100,000; the underlying conduct was later described publicly as "indefensible."