Sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Santa Paula police chief
SANTA PAULA, Calif. – A long-time Santa Paula Police dispatcher has filed a sexual harassment law suit against the city's chief of police, alleging that he abused his power by trying to engage in sexual relations with her.
The dispatcher – who is the sole dispatcher for the police department and has been with the city since 1999 – filed the lawsuit against Chief Travis Walker on March 15.
Walker was hired by the city in February 2021, coming from the Cathedral City Police Department where he had been put on administrative leave in 2019 while acting as police chief due to another allegation of sexual assault made by a Cathedral City dispatcher, as News Channel 3-12 previously reported.
Santa Paula had been without a police chief for around two years when Walker was brought on to the team, and city officials at the time of his hiring said that they went through "an extensive recruitment process," ending up with 19 qualified applicants.
However, just over a year into his tenure as the city's police chief, Walker is already facing similar accusations to those that put him on leave in Cathedral City.
In her lawsuit, the Santa Paula dispatcher alleged that Walker threatened disciplinary action – including the threat of being fired despite working for the city for over 22 years – if she did not want to have sex with him in a local hotel in late June 2021.
Shortly after that incident, the dispatcher claims that Walker would pull her hair, fondle her breasts over her uniform, and forced her hand to touch his butt in the workplace, according to court documents obtained by News Channel 3-12.
"Due to ... Walker's position as the Chief of Police of the Santa Paula Police Department, which plaintiff understood would be the ultimate decision-maker regarding any discipline ... plaintiff did not believe that she had any choice but to have sexual relations with defendant Walker," the lawsuit stated.
Between October and December 2021, the lawsuit claims that Walker on at least three or four separate occasions would fondle the dispatcher's breasts while she was working as the sole dispatcher for the police department.
Walker also allegedly would force the dispatcher's hand to touch his genital area, and pull out his genitals and place them in her hand, the lawsuit stated.
The city on Wednesday issued a statement in response to the accusations against Walker, saying that it immediately engaged an independent investigator to conduct a "rigorous investigation" into the matter – which is a normal course of action in the situation.
“The City of Santa Paula takes all allegations seriously,” said Mayor Jenny Crosswhite. “We expect a thorough investigation to get to the facts and ensure we sustain a fair and healthy workplace.”
City Manager Dan Singer said that the city will offer further comment when appropriate "out of respect for the integrity of the investigation process, civil lawsuit, and persons involved in the matter."
The city did not mention if Walker was placed on leave after the allegations came to light.
