The Los Angeles County Fire Department fired Captain Adam Clint after he was convicted of felony assault in a neighbor dispute. Following a commission's review, Clint was reinstated with back pay, as they deemed insufficient evidence supported racial slurs or threats towards the neighbor. Clint's misconduct was viewed as an isolated incident, and though the Department is appealing the commission's decision, the situation highlights tensions between conduct expectations and legal outcomes.
"By assaulting your neighbor and being convicted of a felony, you engaged in conduct unbecoming a fire captain," Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Ewald wrote in a January 2023 termination letter. "Your misconduct embarrassed and discredited the Department."
"His misconduct on July 3, 2021 was an isolated, uncharacteristic lapse in judgment not likely to be repeated," the commission's hearing officer wrote in his report.
"The guy doesn't have a racist bone in him," said Clint's attorney.
The Fire Department is appealing the decision, filing a petition in L.A. County Superior Court on April 14 stating that it was "well within the Department's discretion" to fire Clint.
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