Lillian L. Carranza, a captain with the LAPD, has filed a lawsuit against the department, claiming that she forced to work in a hostile and sexually charged work environment after a naked photograph falsely believed to be of her was shared amongst fellow officers.
According to Carranza’s lawsuit, fellow officers in the Los Angeles Police Department disseminated and shared a nude photo that was falsely reported to be Capt. Carranza. However, despite their knowledge the “deeply humiliating” photo that was being shared amongst the department, the LAPD allegedly did not alert Carranza.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that LAPD Deputy Chief Debra McCarthy — the officer who leads the department’s internal investigation — was aware of the misconduct targeted at Carranza but “took no steps to inform (her) of said misconduct specifically targeting her.”
Carranza, who is a 28-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, oversees the commercial crimes division that handles high-profile burglary investigations.
According to the report from the Los Angeles Times, Carranza said that the Los Angeles Police Department chief “encourages us to be vocal and transparent, but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to sexual harassment.”
“You are given a gag order, and then they do nothing to correct it. Zero tolerance in the LAPD for such behavior is symbolic. The reality is it is tolerated,” Carranza told the LA Times.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not provide a comment on Carranza’s lawsuit, as they have a policy of not comment ongoing litigation.
