BHPD Chief Admits Limited Knowledge Of Jewish Faith

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Beverly Hills police chief acknowledged Friday that she had limited knowledge about the Jewish faith when she was hired in 2016 to head law enforcement in a city with a large Jewish presence, as testimony continued in a discrimination lawsuit against the city.

Chief Sandra Spagnoli told a Los Angeles Superior Court jury that she grew up in Northern California and spent all of her early police career in that area, starting in the city of San Carlos and later moving on to jobs as chief in Benicia and San Leandro. She testified Thursday that she was raised in a small town and was a member of Jehovah's Witnesses until she converted to Catholicism.

Spagnoli also denied being insensitive in describing shtreimels, which are hats worn by some Jewish men. She said she was driving to work one day and saw Jewish males in furry hats. She said she asked Capt. Mark Rosen, who is Jewish and is now retired, to explain them to her. She said Rosen did not know the answer and that she obtained the information from someone else.

She denied telling Rosen that the hats were "funny," saying she instead used the label "furry."

Spagnoli said she asked Rosen if Jews observed Thanksgiving for her own personal knowledge, but also because she wanted to have at least one person in each level of command available on the holiday.

Spagnoli's alleged remarks about the religion and sexual orientation of members of the department are at the center of a lawsuit filed against the city of Beverly Hills in December 2017 that is now being tried before a jury in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Rosen, who also sued the city for discrimination and retaliation, settled before trial for $2.3 million.

The plaintiffs in the current case are Lieutenants Renato Moreno, Michael Foxen and Shan Davis, and civilian employee Dona Norris, who is the BHPD's public safety communications and evidence manager.

Moreno maintains he has endured "pervasive" anti-Latino and anti-Catholic discrimination under Spagnoli and that matters came to a head when he provided testimony on behalf of Rosen. Moreno also alleges he was given fewer choice assignments, lost job benefits and pay and was subjected to improper internal investigations.

Foxen maintains he suffered a backlash when he notified management that Officer Lisa Weller, who is gay, was paid less than a heterosexual male officer with the same experience.

Davis was Norris' supervisor and alleges Spagnoli directed him to lower Norris' performance evaluation because she is gay.

After standing up for Norris and refusing to comply with Spagnoli's alleged order, Davis was passed over for promotions and transferred to a less prestigious position, the suit alleges.

After finding out that Norris was gay, Spagnoli refused to provide her the necessary support staff and eliminated her promotional opportunities, according to the complaint.

In her testimony, Spagnoli told jurors that when two captain spots opened up, Davis and Foxen were passed over by two more qualified candidates with better work ethics. She said she made her choices after a very competitive process and that her decisions were not influenced by the support Foxen and Davis had for Rosen.

Spagnoli succeeded Dave Snowden, who was Beverly Hills' police chief for 12 years, although an interim chief was in place when she was hired. She said she made changes from the Snowden regime that included putting more officers on the streets with a response time goal of three minutes or less for serious crimes.

City News Service