Pasadena Police Officer Taisyn Crutchfield Files Suit Against Pasadena Police Department
African American police officer Taisyn Crutchfield has filed a lawsuit against the Pasadena Police Department claiming she was subjected to racial discrimination, harassment and retaliated against for doing what many say was “the right thing.”
The rookie officer also claims that she has been denied access to her personnel files and has not been given the opportunity to respond to charges that have placed the 28-year-old officer on administrative leave since February 20, 2023.
The incident in question, which as reported by the Sentinel on June 22, 2023, involved Pasadena police detaining and handcuffing Carlos Towns, his mother Barsha Knox, and an unidentified minor. None of the individuals detained and handcuffed were arrested.
Officer Crutchfield being placed on administrative leave is all the result of an incident that occurred in February when Crutchfield, who had just arrived on the scene, appears in police videos to attempt to move Officer Ralph Palacios away from Knox.
Palacios tells Crutchfield several times not to “do that.” A supervising officer at the scene tells both officers to move away from each other and orders both officers back to police headquarters.
In a separate lawsuit filed by noted African American civil rights attorneys Caree Harper and Benjamin Crump, a conspiracy is alleged that “is now in the works to fire Crutchfield because of her intervention and her race.”
The Pasadena Police Department has not released the official reason why Crutchfield has been placed on administrative leave citing California State Law, which prohibits release of personnel information.
Bradley Gage, the attorney for Officer Crutchfield stated, “Crutchfield spent months on administrative leave. She then had her probation extended. Eventually, Crutchfield was returned to work, but in retaliation for her actions, and in violation of the Peace Officers Bill of Rights, she has been denied access to her file, an opportunity to respond to any charges in her file, and even the right to see what the rationale was for keeping her on administrative leave for months.
“As such, the Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights was maliciously violated allowing for civil penalties and attorney’s fees in addition to economic and noneconomic damages and litigation costs. [Punitive damages are sought only against the individual defendants.]”
Leadership within Pasadena’s African American community is widely divided on this case and lawsuit. Police Chief Eugene Harris, who is also African American, has a number of supporters in the African American community who believe that Harris is working diligently to clean up a department that has been plagued by allegations of corruption for several years.
Others voice support for Crutchfield and believe that this case is but one of many where African American officers are subject to the same racist treatment that has plagued the department and the city for decades.
City Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian acknowledged the City had received the claim and said, “The facts alleged about the incident are inaccurate” and referred to videos of the matter that were previously released by the City and may be seen online at
https://www.cityofpasadena.net/poli...formation-video-incident-number-pa2023-13545/
African American police officer Taisyn Crutchfield has filed a lawsuit against the Pasadena Police Department claiming she was subjected to racial discrimination, harassment and retaliated against for doing what many say was “the right thing.”
The rookie officer also claims that she has been denied access to her personnel files and has not been given the opportunity to respond to charges that have placed the 28-year-old officer on administrative leave since February 20, 2023.
The incident in question, which as reported by the Sentinel on June 22, 2023, involved Pasadena police detaining and handcuffing Carlos Towns, his mother Barsha Knox, and an unidentified minor. None of the individuals detained and handcuffed were arrested.
Officer Crutchfield being placed on administrative leave is all the result of an incident that occurred in February when Crutchfield, who had just arrived on the scene, appears in police videos to attempt to move Officer Ralph Palacios away from Knox.
Palacios tells Crutchfield several times not to “do that.” A supervising officer at the scene tells both officers to move away from each other and orders both officers back to police headquarters.
In a separate lawsuit filed by noted African American civil rights attorneys Caree Harper and Benjamin Crump, a conspiracy is alleged that “is now in the works to fire Crutchfield because of her intervention and her race.”
The Pasadena Police Department has not released the official reason why Crutchfield has been placed on administrative leave citing California State Law, which prohibits release of personnel information.
Bradley Gage, the attorney for Officer Crutchfield stated, “Crutchfield spent months on administrative leave. She then had her probation extended. Eventually, Crutchfield was returned to work, but in retaliation for her actions, and in violation of the Peace Officers Bill of Rights, she has been denied access to her file, an opportunity to respond to any charges in her file, and even the right to see what the rationale was for keeping her on administrative leave for months.
“As such, the Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights was maliciously violated allowing for civil penalties and attorney’s fees in addition to economic and noneconomic damages and litigation costs. [Punitive damages are sought only against the individual defendants.]”
Leadership within Pasadena’s African American community is widely divided on this case and lawsuit. Police Chief Eugene Harris, who is also African American, has a number of supporters in the African American community who believe that Harris is working diligently to clean up a department that has been plagued by allegations of corruption for several years.
Others voice support for Crutchfield and believe that this case is but one of many where African American officers are subject to the same racist treatment that has plagued the department and the city for decades.
City Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian acknowledged the City had received the claim and said, “The facts alleged about the incident are inaccurate” and referred to videos of the matter that were previously released by the City and may be seen online at
https://www.cityofpasadena.net/poli...formation-video-incident-number-pa2023-13545/
