Richmond Cop Sues City, Says The Police Chief Sexually Harassed, Then Fired Him

A Richmond police officer is suing the city saying he was wrongfully terminated after he complained about the police chief sexually harassing him.

Thomas Hauschild, an eight-year veteran of the force, said an internal affairs investigation centered on him began only after he voiced complaints about being sexually harassed by Chief Chris Magnus, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

He was fired in 2013 after being faced with domestic battery charges and for buying unregistered guns.

Hauschild’s attorney, David Poore, told the San Francisco Chronicle that officer Hauschild faced inappropriate termination.

“Mr. Hauschild’s employment record as a police officer with the city of Richmond was excellent until he raised concerns about the chief’s inappropriate conduct. Since then, he had been repeatedly targeted in the workplace in direct retaliation for his protected activity, in what was an obvious attempt to terminate his employment and soil his good name.”

In the lawsuit, Hauschild says the chief, who is gay, touched him inappropriately and rubbed his arm in a sexual manner. He claims the chief got mad and retaliated against him after he complained about the incident.

He claims he was denied overtime, training, was removed from the SWAT team, and not allowed to work as an acting sergeant or homicide detective.

Chief Magnus denied the accusations of improper conduct and said he had Hauschild investigated after he was arrested for domestic abuse and guns purchased through private purchases were found at his house. Although arrested, Hauschild was never charged with domestic abuse.

Magnus told the San Francisco Chronicle he acted appropriately under the circumstances.

“Although I am no longer surprised that holding some employees responsible for their bad behavior results in retaliatory lawsuits, these particular allegations are a new low. I will continue to take conduct involving domestic violence and weapons issues seriously, regardless of this desperate attempt to intimidate me and shake down the city.”

The Richmond police department is also facing charges it discriminated against its Muslim officers.

Officer Mujaheed Rasheed told Aljazeera he filed a complaint against the department after he was demoted from his post as sergeant trainee.

Magnus also faced racial discrimination charges in 2007 after seven African-American officers said they weren’t promoted because they were black, although he was cleared of those charges by a federal court.

Although he’s faced accusations of racial discrimination, Chief Magnus gained a bit of notoriety in December when he joined a “Black Lives Matter” rally and held a protest sign, according to the Inquisitr.

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]