Police Chief Scot Smithee and Mayor Roland Velasco responded Friday to a suit that alleges members of the department had sex parties, exposed themselves in front of minors and harassed a female employee who wouldn’t take part in the activities and warned others about them.
Here’s what the city said in a press release:Â
“Recently the City of Gilroy was served with a lawsuit from a former city employee of the Gilroy Police Department. The allegations mentioned in the lawsuit are simply allegations until fully addressed in a court of law. The City takes this lawsuit very seriously.
“The Gilroy Police Department is a professional law enforcement department and holds itself to a high standard of integrity. We understand the public holds the Gilroy Police Department to this high standard as well.
“‘This matter has to be dealt with through the legal process in a court of law.’ said Gilroy Mayor Roland Velasco, ‘The City Council and I will continue to monitor this lawsuit closely. I have full confidence in the men and women of the Gilroy Police Department to continue to do their duty and serve the people of Gilroy as they always have’.
Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee stated, ‘The Gilroy Police Department is full of caring and dedicated public servants. I am proud of our strong history of community service and keeping the public safe. We are determined to maintain our focus on serving the community in a professional and ethical manner.’
A spokesman for the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office said no one has reported criminal activity regarding the charges to the office.Â
“We learned today of the allegations contained in the plaintiff’s lawsuit. However, we have not received any information alleging criminal activity,” said attorney Vishal Bathija, Thursday.Â
See the complete text of the lawsuit here:bit.ly/gpdsuit
See the previous Gilroy Dispatch story here:Â http://www.gilroydispatch.com/news/sex-allegations-rock-gpd/article_9af9ae96-8337-11e7-a530-efb1535a2afb.html
