Police Sergeant Sues for Wrongful Termination

Randy Ostrander's Suit Alleges That Ridgefield City Leaders Fired Him for Reporting Corruption and Race Discrimination

Vancouver, WA (PRWEB) December 17, 2006 -- The former Police Sergeant for the City of Ridgefield, fired from his job in August of this year, filed suit against the City of Ridgefield today in Clark County Superior Court (Case No. 06-2-06592-5) alleging wrongful termination and retaliation. The suit, filed by Ostrander's Vancouver, Washington attorneys, Greg Ferguson and Chey Powelson, alleges that City officials fired Sgt. Ostrander in order to "to discredit him, preempt his reports to government agencies and to chill his continuing efforts to report and investigate race discrimination, fraud, bribery, self-dealing, and conflicts of interest by the City, its managers and Council members."

The suit claims that Sgt. Ostrander was terminated when outside attorneys from four separate firms, hired to represent the embroiled City in connection with a plethora of pending legal matters, shared information with one another and the City council, including the Mayor and Acting City Manager, in preparation for the defense of a number of separate yet related legal cases. During this process City officials were briefed on the corruption and race allegations reported by Ostrander. Things went downhill from there and the City soon terminated Ostrander alleging intentional misconduct.

Ostrander alleges that his termination came within months of providing evidence to the City's lawyers lending credence to the race allegations against City officials, and reporting conflicts of interest and favoritism relating to the Mayor's daughter (a City police officer and Police Guild president), and dubious business deals by City council members in conjunction with the former terminated City Manager that included lucrative real estate ventures that were positively impacted by votes they cast as council members.

The burgeoning rural western Washington City has been rocked by a series of legal troubles over the past year as developers, land speculators, money and people have poured into the area. Those troubles include (1) a federal race discrimination suit filed on December 1, 2005 by Officer Carl Mealing, terminated from the City in September of 2005, (4) a Public Disclosure Act lawsuit pertaining to the City's refusal to release records relating to the Mealing termination (that the City eventually lost), (4) a lawsuit relating to the termination of the former City Manager, also a defendant in the Mealing suit, and (5) the suspension and resignation of the City's former Chief of Police.

The former Chief had also offered testimony under oath favorable to Mealing during a civil service proceeding, and according to public records, had begun an internal affairs investigation in December of 2006 directed at the Mayor's daughter, and was also in the process of reporting City corruption to the FBI.

Ostrander's termination was based upon specific allegations that he intentionally falsified electronic police reports. In his defense, Ostrander asserts that his conduct was far from intentional and that he had used the electronic report system as mean of tracking officer productivity. The former Chief had instructed him to stop that practice in early 2006 and Ostrander asserts that he did as instructed. The lawsuit alleges that the reason given by the City for his termination was "pretextual" and based upon allegations far less serious than conduct that been "repeatedly tolerated from other City officers, including the Mayor's daughter".

Attorney Greg Ferguson stated that, "some residents remain undaunted by the secretive and heavy-handed style of the City Council and have freely come forward to verify the improper actions of their City's leaders. Internal documents and emails obtained through a series of public records requests served upon the City in recent months further detail how information was shared between the lawyers, and how decisions were jointly made to protect the City Officials from legal troubles, apparently at any cost. This is not a 'he said she said' case. The evidence is simply overwhelming."

Ostrander stated, "After over 25 years of public service, all that I had worked hard for was abruptly taken away. Nonetheless, it remains my honor to have served the citizens of Ridgefield. The majority of the people there are good folks. I hope that those who know me continue to think of me as a hard-working, dedicated officer, who wanted the best for the City, and who was committed to doing what was right, rather than what was convenient."

Officer Carl Mealing's lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, Case No. CO5-5778 (FBD).

###