Oakland

Four Richmond Police Officers Fired in Sexual Misconduct Case: City Manager

Three Richmond police officers were fired Friday and another is expected to be terminated next week in connection with the widespread sexual misconduct scandal involving an East Bay teen, according to City Manager Bill Lindsay.

The city manager’s decision is more stringent than an initial recommendation to terminate one officer, demote one officer and suspend two officers, according to a release by the city manager's office.

"It is my belief that the actions in question have no place in a city department that has worked hard to become a national model for community policing," Lindsay said in a statement. "Our community places its trust in us and expects us to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct. Preserving that trust requires that we be decisive in addressing behavior that violates these standards."

The 19-year-old Jasmine, who went by the moniker Celeste Guap, said she had sex with dozens of officers across multiple law enforcement agencies in the East Bay. Her claims led to internal investigations by agencies including Oakland, Richmond, Livermore and San Francisco police departments and the sheriff’s offices of Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

A total of 11 Richmond police officers were investigated but cleared of criminal misconduct in the expansive sexual exploitation scandal that has led to criminal charges against seven officers from three departments and official discipline for 12 Oakland police officers.

Five other Richmond officers will receive official reprimands, and two officers resigned for unrelated reasons before the investigation began, the city manager's office said.

Richmond's internal investigation, launched on Sept. 23, involved an examination of more than 10,000 text messages and cellphone records, over 5,000 social media pages and contact with 45 individuals, including 13 hours of voluntary testimony from Jasmine, the city manager's office said.

Under the city’s established personnel procedures, the four officers proposed for termination may request a hearing regarding the proposed discipline and may eventually seek binding arbitration to determine a final outcome, the city manager's office said.

The city declined to disclose the officers' identities, citing the state's privacy laws for law enforcement officers.

A total of 11 Richmond police officers were investigated but cleared of criminal misconduct in the expansive sexual exploitation scandal that has led to criminal charges against seven officers from three departments and official discipline for 12 Oakland police officers.

Richmond police interim Chief Allwyn Brown has said some of the 11 officers would face discipline ranging from termination to letters of reprimand and counseling, but he had declined to disclose how many or who, citing the state's privacy laws for law enforcement officers.

The city manager declined to give the names of the Richmond officers fired.

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