David Moore’s desire to become a police officer was cultivated at the young age of 12, while being raised in a gang infested environment. Moore’s dream like many police officers was to protect and serve his community. However, after 23 years in law enforcement(five years at LAPD and 17 years with the Fontana Police Department), Moore and his former partner Andrew Anderson, have been stripped of that opportunity by the Fontana Police Department(FPD)but they aren’t going down without a fight!
Recently the former FPD officer spoke to the Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper regarding the alleged wrongful termination, the racist culture of the Fontana Police Department and his plan for seeking justice.
“I first experienced racism early on in my career and hearing racial words in the locker room,” said Moore.“The word ‘nigger’ was used as well as ‘wetback’ and I was also a victim of an unlawful investigation at the department and every position that I applied for while I was qualified, they skipped over me.”
Moore goes on to say that he overheard some of the supervisors saying racial slurs about the African American officers who worked in the department.
“One of the most pronounced times was in the locker room at the department when I heard several supervisors referring to a group of Black individuals as ‘a bunch of monkeys’ and one of the supervisors said,‘those niggers are known for that’ and I walked around the corner and there were three supervisors there.”
Finally, Moore decided to speak with a sergeant about some of the racism that was taking place in the department. However, his concerns were “brushed off.” Soon after, Moore alleges that he became a victim of retaliation and was fired in 2017 for leaving his wife on his insurance plan after they were divorced.
“What they did to me was totally in retaliation and it has never been done to anyone else before at the department,” said Moore.“Never have they ever went after anyone at the department before for leaving their wife on their insurance after receiving a court order and a letter from their attorney telling them to do so. They chose to do that and they were monitoring my divorce status. When they couldn’t find anything at work, they went after my private life.”
After being terminated, Moore sought legal help from attorney Brad Mancuso from the Bohm Law Group, and appealed his termination. In August 2018, the Fontana City Council upheld his appeal. According to Mancuso, Moore is unable to find work at another department due to the fact that he has a termination on his record.
Moore’s former partner, Anderson, who is Latino, also says that he experienced racial discrimination during his time with the department. Together, the two made a complaint about the FPD’s culture to the Fontana Mayor, Acquanetta Warren who is Black.
“We had a hearing and presented [the case] to Mayor Warren and she ignored it,” said Moore.“There were two other individuals on the[Fontana City Council] who found that I should have been reinstated, but she chose to not reinstate me.”
He goes on to say that Mayor Warren hasn’t done anything to improve the working conditions for minorities in the City of Fontana.
“[Although] she has the power to demand an investigation and look into these things, she stood by and did absolutely nothing, he said.
Moore explained to the LA Sentinel how the alleged racial discrimination from the Fontana Police Department, has caused emotional trauma for him and his family.
“I have had to sale majority of my personal property just to make it,” he said,“Ihave liquidated my personal saving account, I have been trying my best to maintain my composure but this is stressful. My son and my family were accustomed to a corporal salary at the Fontana Police Department which was very generous and I appreciate it tremendously. But when they took that away, I had to get loans, I am most likely going to have to take money out of my retirement.”
Moore further explains that he may have to sale his home to make ends meet.
“In addition to that, the stress and anxiety this has caused me, I have sought counseling for it. I have worrisome nights and they have damaged my reputation to the point where I can’t get a job anywhere in law enforcement because they have casted this stigma of dishonesty on me.”
Recently, Moore’s brother set up a GoFundMe account to“help him survive.”
The case is set to go to trial in October 2019. Both Moore and Anderson are suing the police department for years of alleged racial discrimination and passed promotions(which they believed they qualified for). Moore is also suing for what he believes to be a wrongfully terminated.
Both are seeking compensatory and punitive damages and hope that their voices will lead to change in the organizational structure of the department.
The Alleged Racist Culture Within the Department
According to former LAPD officer and retired state attorney Monrow Babon, this is not the first time the Fontana Police Department has been accused of racial discrimination.
During the mid-1990s, a Black man was a victim of a homicide behind a KFC that took place in the city of Fontana. After the victim’s body was removed from the fast-food restaurant and taken to the coroner’s office for an autopsy.
“While the autopsy was being performed, the officers found it amusing to place a chicken bone in the hand of the deceased victim, take photographs of the act,” said Babon.“[These photos] Circulated around the Fontana Police Department for years with the story that, obviously this individual was killed whilst stealing the chicken or piece of chicken.”
Babon, who is representing the family members of the deceased, goes on to say that the case has yet to be solved. Although the case happened almost two decades ago, these gruesome images have recently been seen by the family through the help of former police officer Moore.
“A sister and two nieces became aware of the incident and[it is] needless to say the emotional trauma that it has caused them. So, I met with them about a week ago and I’m looking at what actions might be brought on their behalf, relative to the Fontana Police Department and the County of San Bernardino,” said Babon.
The family attorney told the LA Sentinel that he is “exploring all options” available to the family including filing a formal complaint against the Fontana Police department and the County of San Bernardino with the attorney’s general office.
“[I am also looking into] whether or not any federal rights have been violated in addition to whether not there would be cause for criminal prosecution and if there are any civil liberties that might be available to the family members of the victim,” he said.