Former Fresno cop files civil rights lawsuit against department over retaliation, firing
A recently fired police lieutenant has filed a lawsuit against Fresno Police Department saying he was terminated as retaliation for not being a “good ol’ boy,” according to his attorney.
Ignacio Ruiz Jr. said the Fresno Police Department used a routine fender bender involving his patrol car as a means to fire the 46-year-old lieutenant about two years after he was promoted, according to a civil rights complaint filed in federal court of the California Eastern District on March 7.
The Fresno Police Department and city of Fresno declined to address the lawsuit, saying they do not comment on ongoing litigation.
Ruiz, who was fired on Valentine’s Day, was on the outs with the department’s administrators because he wasn’t toeing the line to maintain some of Fresno police’s discriminatory policies, according to Kevin Little, a Fresno attorney representing the former lieutenant.
“This (crash) got blown way out of proportion and (Ruiz) thinks it’s because he was not one of the good ol’ boys,” Little said.
The civil complaint said Ruiz was the subject of an unfair and tainted investigation for the dent in his patrol car. That included untrue rumors the damaged car somehow resulted from him having an affair with a married Clovis woman, according to the complaint.
Little said the affair was made up by other officers, and administrators said Ruiz was being dishonest during the Internal Affairs investigation about what was an unremarkable crash in a patrol car while Ruiz was off duty.
“Under the law, all we have to prove is that this (retaliation) was a motivating reason,” Little said. “We feel confident that we can prove that.”
Ruiz had about 25 years in the department and had an unblemished record before the investigation, according to Little.
Balderrama placed the lieutenant’s badge on Ruiz around Feb. 2, 2022, according to a tweet by the chief.
“Earlier this week I had the pleasure of promoting Sgt. Ignacio Ruiz to Lieutenant,” the tweet said. “He is a 23-year veteran with a masters degree who’s proven himself a great leader in various difficult assignments.”
Ruiz, in a claim for damages, has said the department’s discriminatory practices include a lack of properly maintained data for stops made by police under Assembly Bill 953 of 2015, according to the complaint. If audited, the data would show a disproportionate amount of stops for people of color — especially those who are Hispanic or Black.
The complaint also cites multiple incidents of racially bias conduct among the leaders of Fresno Police Department, including officers who routinely referred to officers of color as being part of the “Mexican Mafia,” a reference to a street gang also known to operate in the U.S. prison system.
The Fresno Police Department, according to the complaint, is divided along racial lines between white officers and Hispanic officers.
Ruiz’s complaint says he has had conversations with other high-ranking Hispanic officers who shared similar stories of a department that favors less qualified white officers.
The complaint includes the names of seven ranking officers as defendants, including Balderrama, Deputy Chief Mindy Casto, Capt. Joe Alvarez, Capt. Tom Rowe, Lt. Anthony DeWall, Lt. Sean Biggs and Sgt. Joshua Knapp.
Many more officers are named as potentially being called to testify.
Ruiz’s complaint says the department’s problems date back to former chief and current Mayor Jerry Dyer, who led the department for 18 years.
The claim cites past lawsuits filed by former officers who also alleged racism and mistreatment by Dyer as an examples of history of mismanagement in Fresno Police Department. A 2011 lawsuit that cited racist treatment was settled out of court.
The Ruiz complaint requests a jury trial with the amount of damages to be determined at trial, including loss of wages and compensation for pain and suffering.
Ruiz declined to speak with The Fresno Bee. He instead offered a written statement.
“The rank-and-file police officers and everyone in Fresno deserve quality leaders who sincerely care about their well-being,” the statement said in part. “They are people who have families and friends who deeply care for them.”
