Widespread cronyism colors Newport Beach Police Department, former officers claim in suit

Two retired Newport Beach police officers have filed a claim alleging they were retaliated against, passed over for promotions and ridiculed by department leaders in the last several years.

Retired Lts. Steve Shulman and Craig Frizzell are seeking an undetermined amount of money from the city, claiming that rampant cronyism on the police force created a hostile workplace, where questioning leaders led to reassignments and broken laws by city officials to let friends rise to the top.

The claim lays out much of what the Police Management Assn., which represents officers ranked sergeant and above, argued to the city in 2008 and 2009. 

The group claimed former Chief John Klein was preordained to be chief and former Chief Bob McDonell used department resources for his own pet project, the Integrated Law & Justice Agency, among other allegations.

Read the full story in the Daily Pilot: "Two officers file claim against Newport."

-- Joseph Serna, Times Community News

Photo: Times Community News

Comments

[Rita]

Hopefully former captain M. Hymans is not involved in this lawsuit. LAX just hired him and we have our own lawsuit regarding dicrimination of promotion of unqualified black officers over qualified white officers.