Taisyn Crutchfield, a Pasadena police officer, filed a grievance towards the Pasadena Police Division, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation from her division.
The lawsuit is predicated on an occasion that occurred in February of this yr, in line with Crutchfield, who claimed to have defused a hectic state of affairs the place a fellow officer had slammed a black juvenile male’s face right into a plant that resembled a cactus.
Based on BET, the lawsuit cites this incident as linked to the January taking pictures of Charles Cities, a black man, by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division officers.
A month later, police responded to a grievance involving Cities’ youngsters, one in every of whom voiced justifiable frustration over his father’s demise by the hands of regulation enforcement. After the child and officers exchanged crude remarks, one officer grabbed the kid and threw him face-first right into a thorny plant.
A press release by Crutchfield’s legal professional learn, “The Pasadena Police Division (PPD) has a historical past of racial discrimination, racial profiling, disparities of punishment of African American workers and retaliation towards officers who’re whistleblowers or complain about discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.”
Crutchfield was seen calmly shoving the officer throughout his forwards and backwards with one other individual on the web site in 16-minute physique cam footage launched by the division in June. She felt compelled to intervene after witnessing the officer’s excessive actions.
The assertion additionally added that “Officer Taisyn Crutchfield happily adopted state-wide police coaching and intervened to de-escalate the state of affairs. Officer Crutchfield deserved a commendation for her swift and heroic motion, avoiding useless violence. As a substitute, she was relieved of obligation and punished. Our lawsuit is about righting the unsuitable that Officer Crutchfield has suffered from.”
Based on the LA Sentinel, Crutchfield claimed she was denied entry to her personnel recordsdata and was not allowed to reply to fees.
In the meantime, a spokesperson for town instructed KKTV that Cructhfield’s accusations have been unfaithful.
The consultant mentioned in an announcement, “The Metropolis will vigorously defend itself on this matter and the info will prevail. The Pasadena Police Division proudly serves the residents of Pasadena with honor and integrity, and is happy with its range all through all ranks of the Division.”
Apart from her police job, Crutchfield is a nationally acclaimed NCAA observe standout with a bachelor’s and grasp’s diploma in criminology, in line with BET. The aspiring magnificence queen additionally intends to compete within the Miss Oregon competitors in 2024.