Lensey v. City of Shreveport Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board

839 So. 2d 1032, 2003 La. App. LEXIS 554, 2003 WL 730501
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 5, 2003
DocketNo. 36,934-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 839 So. 2d 1032 (Lensey v. City of Shreveport Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lensey v. City of Shreveport Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board, 839 So. 2d 1032, 2003 La. App. LEXIS 554, 2003 WL 730501 (La. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

|.MOORE, J.

Tisha C.L. Lensey (“Lensey”) appeals a judgment rendered with written opinion by the First Judicial District Court dated April 29, 2002, affirming an August 15, 2001, ruling of the Shreveport Municipal [1034]*1034Fire and Police Civil Service Board (“Board”), which ruling determined that Lensey’s termination from the Shreveport Police Department was in good faith and for cause. Finding inadequate evidence for cause, we reverse the termination of Lensey, amend her punishment to a 90-day suspension without pay or benefits, re-institute her pre-termination employment as a Shreveport Police Officer, with back pay and all associated employment benefits following the 90-day suspension period.

Factual background

The following facts were established at the Board’s hearing in August, 2001.

On December 27, 2000, Lensey, while off-duty and in civilian clothing, drove her cousins Kenneth and Ronald Allen, and Melody Wright to the Shreveport bus terminal for Kenneth to catch a bus. Learning that they had missed the bus, Lensey drove the group to the Bossier City terminal in hopes that Kenneth could catch his bus there. Testimony at the Board hearing reflected that Kenneth and Ronald had been drinking alcoholic beverages when they arrived at the Bossier City bus terminal.

Kenneth then boarded his bus but became involved in an altercation with the bus driver, Raymond Trejo. In response to the altercation, the Bossier City Police were dispatched to the bus terminal to investigate; Officer Thomas Delrie (“Del-rie”) was first to arrive, followed by Officer LMike Williams (‘Williams”) and then by Sergeant Jim Viola (“Viola”).

Delrie testified that once he arrived at the scene, and before he could speak with Trejo, the battery complainant, Lensey approached him and identified herself as a Shreveport police officer. She also identified the accused assailant, Kenneth, as her fiancé and the other man, Ronald, as her fiancé’s brother, and told Delrie that neither man had done anything wrong. Del-rie testified that Lensey was talking loudly and was insulting to him by stating that she knew the law and what Delrie could do, and what she could do in responding to this incident. Delrie further testified that within moments Williams and Viola arrived and began speaking with Lensey, which allowed him to speak to Trejo concerning the alleged battery.

Delrie further testified that following his interview with Trejo, Trejo did not want to file battery charges against Kenneth, but wanted Kenneth off his bus. During this time, Williams made arrangements for Kenneth to catch a later bus. Then all three officers instructed Kenneth, Ronald, Melody and Lensey to get into Lensey’s car and leave. Kenneth, Ronald and Melody complied, but Lensey remained outside of her car in a roadway.

Viola then requested Lensey to leave the street area and speak with Williams, who would advise her of the resolution achieved between Trejo and Kenneth. However, Lensey refused to speak to Williams despite several requests by Viola and Delrie. Thereafter, Viola requested that Lensey get in her car and leave but she again refused. At this point, Viola placed Lensey under arrest for “interfering with an officer.”

| oViola further testified that before he arrested Lensey she was “hollering” and “screaming” at him, trying to tell him what had happened between Kenneth and Trejo, but that she was not using any foul or obscene language.

Lensey was then placed in Delrie’s police car and transported by Delrie to the Bossier City Police Department, where she was processed for her arrest.

Lensey testified that when Delrie arrived at the scene, he asked her what had occurred and she identified herself as a Shreveport Police Officer who had wit[1035]*1035nessed the incident.- Delrie commented to her that he had applied to the Shreveport Police Department and they refused him a position. Lensey testified that Delrie seemed angry about it. Lensey testified that she stood about 15 to 20 feet away from Delrie when he got Kenneth out of her car and began to verbally abuse him for assaulting Trejo. Lensey added that Kenneth and Delrie also argued over the whereabouts of Kenneth’s baggage, which was on the bus that had already left the terminal.

Lensey also Testified that she spoke to Viola regarding Delrie’s bad attitude towards her and her family and that she was filing a complaint against Delrie; Lensey testified that in reply, however, Viola cut her off and instructed her to go speak with Delrie, which Viola knew she would not do, in view of the circumstances. Finally, Lensey testified that she never spoke to Officer Williams.

Lensey also testified that after Delrie placed her in his unit, he made sexist and racist comments to her. She admitted that she then began to curse |4him. Delrie denied making any sexist or racist statements. No other witness corroborated Lensey’s accusations. Delrie did testify that Lensey called him an idiot, racist, and accused him of having a vendetta against the Shreveport Police Department. Delrie also denied telling Lensey about his failed attempt to join the Shreveport Police Department, but admitted he did apply some years ago, but was turned down because he scored too high on the psychological examination.

Ronald testified at the hearing that he witnessed Delrie exhibit a cocky and rude demeanor towards Kenneth, and that Del-rie used profanity in speaking to Kenneth. Ronald also testified that he and Kenneth had been drinking, but were not drunk.

Some seven hours after Lensey had been first transported to the Bossier City Police station, Lieutenant Robert Dowell (“Dowell”), of the Shreveport Police Department, arrived at the Bossier City jail to have Lensey released to him. Dowell testified that although Lensey appeared upset from having to spend the night in the Bossier City jail, Dowell was even more upset about the Bossier Police Department’s decision to arrest Lensey on the subject facts. Dowell went on to testify that if the same events had occurred in Shreveport with an off-duty police officer, a physical arrest would have not been made; rather, a summons would have been issued. Dowell further testified that he was instructed by his superior to go and pick up Lensey from the Bossier City jail and return her to the Shreveport Police station to the Internal Affairs Bureau (“Bureau”) to investigate the complaints pending against Lensey generated by the |Rarresting officers in Bossier City.

Dowell testified that the arresting officer filed a complaint against him for not calming Lensey down when Dowell came to retrieve her from the jail. Dowell concluded that, to his knowledge, the complaint against him was not being pursued. Delrie denied filing a complaint against Dowell, but testified that he did complain to his supervisor about Dowell’s passive attitude towards Lensey’s rude demeanor at the jail. Lensey admitted telling jailers that she considered Delrie incompetent for his handling of the incident at the bus terminal.

On December 29, 2000, just two days after Lensey’s arrest, she called the Traffic Clerk’s office with the Bossier City Police Department and spoke with clerk Felicia Howard (“Howard”). Howard testified at the Board hearing that Lensey identified herself on the telephone as a Shreveport Police Officer that had been arrested in Bossier City. Lensey wanted a copy of her incident report. Howard then [1036]

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Related

Hawkins v. City of Bossier
211 So. 3d 665 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
Morris v. City of Minden
189 So. 3d 487 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2016)
Atchison v. Monroe Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board
64 So. 3d 874 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
Lensey v. City of Shreveport
137 F. App'x 621 (Fifth Circuit, 2005)

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Bluebook (online)
839 So. 2d 1032, 2003 La. App. LEXIS 554, 2003 WL 730501, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lensey-v-city-of-shreveport-municipal-fire-police-civil-service-board-lactapp-2003.