Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify Metro’s plans for its own police department.
A former Los Angeles Police Department officer was awarded $4.5 million by a jury after he alleged retaliation for reporting overtime fraud targeting Los Angeles Metro.
Former Sgt. Randy Rangel, a 32-year department veteran, alerted superiors to alleged overreported overtime by another sergeant, but instead of prompting an investigation, Rangel instead “became the target of a months-long retaliation and harassment campaign,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
That alleged fraudster was being paid overtime by Metro even though he was doing his homework instead of police work, Rangel’s attorney Tamar Arminak told the Times.
“Having his textbooks out, listening to lectures at his desk, not even giving a s—,” she said. “I mean, his [overtime] hours were insane.”
Despite that, Rangel was instead outed as the whistleblower in violation of department rules, subjected to rumors about his love life and written up for discipline by the officer he accused of failing to investigate the alleged fraud.
The LAPD declined to comment when reached by KTLA.
Rangel’s jury award sits at the intersection of two ongoing crises involving law enforcement in Los Angeles.
Not only is the city suffering fiscally under the weight of tens of millions of dollars in lawsuit payouts, but a series of prominent violent crimes on and near Metro stations and vehicles has prompted transit officials to approve ending policing contracts with the LAPD, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and other agencies.
Instead, Metro officials plan to create its own police department, the Transit Community Public Safety Department. The agency previously had its own police force for about 20 years.
“The objectives of the Metro TCPSD are increased visibility, accountability and consistent service delivery, which will result in a safer transit system for Metro employees and customers using a specialized transit community public safety workforce who are trained specifically to address the needs of transit riders, as well as care-based strategies,” a Metro spokesperson said in a statement. “By increasing safety layers, the model will enhance coordination, improve response times and ensure that the specific needs of riders are met with a tailored approach based upon the prevalence of quality-of-life incidents on the Metro system.”
The potential loss of the “lucrative” Metro contract is the motivation behind covering up alleged overtime fraud, another former LAPD officer who received a jury award after alleging mistreatment in Transit Services told the Times.
“The culture was terrible. I mean it was all about greed,” Heather Rolland, a former Transit Services detective, told the Times. “It’s a good ol’ boys club.”
