Judge Blasts City Officials on Police Bias : Says Orders for Inquiry Were Not Carried Out

A federal judge sharply criticized Glendale city officials this week for failing to follow his orders to investigate charges of racism and discrimination within the city’s Police Department.

U. S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian Jr. also accused Glendale Mayor Larry Zarian of making irresponsible comments after Tevrizian ruled that the city discriminated against a Latino police officer who was passed over for a promotion. Glendale city officials have said they will appeal that decision.

The judge leveled his criticism from the bench Monday during a hearing to finalize his Oct. 15 ruling ordering that Officer Ricardo L. Jauregui, 38, be immediately promoted to the rank of sergeant and be given back pay at that rank retroactive to February, 1985. Although final action was put off until today, Tevrizian said he felt compelled to speak out because of published comments attributed to Zarian and other city officials.

No Outside Specialist Hired

Tevrizian said he was particularly angered to hear that city officials did not plan to hire an outside specialist to investigate charges of racism as Tevrizian had ordered in September during the trial.

Instead, city officials in October said they had appointed members of the Police Department, the city manager’s office and the city attorney’s office to handle the investigation.

“That’s no investigation,” the judge said. “You have to bring in someone from the outside. You can’t investigate yourself . . . .”

However, Glendale City Manager James Rez said this week that the city hopes to hire a retired judge or other expert to independently investigate discrimination charges. Rez said the city had contacted two retired judges but that they declined the job. “We are actively looking for outside expertise to help us,” Rez said. “It’s too bad the judge has never asked us that.”

Tevrizian also scolded Zarian, who was not in the courtroom, for publicly suggesting--in the wake of the Jauregui case--that there is not any evidence in Glendale of discrimination against city employees.

Comments Called Irresponsible

“That’s an irresponsible statement,” he said. “This wasn’t a hard case to call. He wasn’t in this courtroom and he didn’t hear the evidence as I did . . . .”

Contacted later by telephone, Zarian said, “I’m not going to get involved in name-calling. I’ll stand by what I’ve said.”

The judge was particularly upset by a series of flyers--introduced by Jauregui’s attorney to back up claims of racism within the Police Department--which depicted minorities in a derogatory light. In one depiction, a black man running is depicted above a caption that read, “Official Running Nigger Target.”

“That’s absolute trash, racism in its bluntest form,” the judge said.

Tevrizian’s ruling against the city came after a month-long, bitter trial during which Jauregui sought to prove that there was widespread racism against minorities in the Police Department.

Of the 177 sworn officers on the force, there are four blacks, 15 Latinos and four women, according to city officials. There are no women or minorities at the rank of sergeant or above.

After Monday’s hearing concluded, Glendale Assistant City Atty. Scott H. Howard said: “The judge has his own opinion of the case and he continues to reflect what that opinion is.”