An LAPD commander found drunk and passed out in her car, and who later admittedly being romantically involved with a subordinate, has sued the department claiming a double standard after she was fired.
Nicole Mehringer and the subordinate, Sgt. James Kelly, ended up facing alcohol-related criminal charges which were later dropped. But, as The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday, Mehringer was fired and Kelly kept his job.
Mehringer has sued the department, claiming she was retaliated against as a whistleblower. In May, she took the extraordinary move of requesting the internal records of dozens of senior male officers who've been accused of egregious behavior.
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"Mehringer’s motion, which has been the talk of the department for weeks, asserts a culture of debauchery and favoritism that dates back years and reaches into the LAPD’s upper echelons," The Times' report stated.
"It threatens to become a new embarrassment for the department, which is under heightened scrutiny over its use of force and lack of women in leadership and is struggling to recruit new officers to its depleted ranks. As of July 30, the department had dipped to 8,967 officers, according to an internal report; Mayor Karen Bass has pledged to increase the force to 9,500 cops."
Speaking to the Times, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore denied that the department responds differently to “alleged misconduct by male command staff officers in comparison to their female counterparts.” He also denied that the department has a problem with alcohol and inappropriate relationships.
But according to Mehringer, her case is clear proof of the department's double standard when it comes to how male and female officials are treated.
“They speak so comfortably because they have covered up so much stuff,” Mehringer told The Times. “It is truly vile how they abuse their power and authority."
Read the full report over at The Los Angeles Times.
