Feb 14, 2008 8:15 pm US/Pacific
Cops Win Millions In 'Lobstergate' Trial
LONG BEACH, Calif.
A jury awarded more than $1 million each to three Long Beach police officers who claimed that they were retaliated against for reporting that fellow officers went lobster hunting instead of guarding the city's port.
The claim was filed in July 2006 by Officers Warren Harris, Craig Patterson and Sgt. David Gage who alleged that they exposed co-workers on a port security team in 2004, but their superiors didn't care and instead started a backlash campaign against the three, which continues to the present day.
Patterson, who was awarded $1.56 million, lowered his head as the verdict was read. Outside the courtroom, he said that the money does not ease his frustrations with the department.
"I just wanted them to believe me," Patterson said, adding it will never be the same working there.
Harris was awarded $1.36 million and Gage $1.16 million. All three thanked the jurors as they left the courtroom.
Patterson and Harris have stayed on the force, but Gage was forced into retirement.
Deputy City Attorney Belinda R. Mayes congratulated the officers personally, but said she was disappointed with the outcome of the case. However, it is too early to know if an appeal will be filed.
Mayes claims that many of the retaliation allegations were unfounded -- including a claim that one of the officer's personal towel was soiled by human feces.
One of the jurors, a workers' compensation attorney, said the evidence in the case was solidly in favor of the officers and that the panel did not bicker during its nearly three days of deliberations.
Former Long Beach Deputy Chief Timothy Jackman, who now works as the Santa Monica police chief, jokingly had called the scandal "Lobstergate."
The Long Beach Police Department's Port Security Team was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Harris was the first of the officers to join the unit, followed later by Gage and Patterson.
The unit had two shifts, and the three plaintiffs worked during the daytime. They each said the lobster hunting went on during the night team's shift and asserted the alleged hunting group used LBPD equipment for recreational purposes and left the port -- the city's most likely terrorist target -- unprotected.
They said that after reporting the problem, they were ostracized and passed over for promotions.
Five officers have been disciplined for participating in "Lobstergate" -- including Cpl. David Frazier, who retired in June amid additional allegations he had an affair with a 17-year-old female member of the LBPD Explorer program, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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