Fired Berkeley police watchdog sues city, mayor

Hansel Aguilar, formerly Berkeley’s director of police accountability, sued the city and Mayor Adena Ishii in state superior court. The complaint, filed May 15, alleges wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, interference, retaliation, and violations of whistleblower protections. Aguilar claims city officials undermined his investigations and made his job impossible. He argues his Feb. 9 firing occurred suddenly without periodic evaluations despite frequent requests over more than three years. The lawsuit follows months of escalating tension between his office and the Police Accountability Board, alongside the City Council, police leadership, and other city agencies. The city had not yet received service and had not responded, and Ishii declined to comment.

"In a civil complaint filed in state superior court on May 15, Hansel Aguilar accused the city of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, interference, retaliation and violation of whistleblower protections. Aguilar's complaint alleges police and other Berkeley officials were trying to undermine his investigations. These issues we're seeing, they're unfortunately not specific to one specific jurisdiction, but are part of a broader story of resistance toward oversight, Aguilar told Berkeleyside in a phone interview, echoing sentiments he expressed in an East Bay Times op-ed in September."

"Aguilar argued that his firing on Feb. 9 came suddenly and without any periodic evaluation of his work, even though he made frequent requests for them over his more than three years working for the city. The firing followed months of escalating tension between Aguilar's office and the Police Accountability Board on the one side, and the City Council, Berkeley Police Department leadership and other city administrative agencies on the other."

"As of Friday, the city had not officially received service of the lawsuit, according to City Attorney Farimah Brown, and as such has not made a formal response to the allegations. Ishii declined to comment. In December, Aguilar sued BPD Chief Jen Louis in an attempt to get records related to a complaint against the police. A judge denied Aguilar's petition in February, saying Aguilar had not had the authority to file it in the first place."

Read at www.berkeleyside.org