"A jury has awarded $8.4 million to a former White police officer who alleged he faced discrimination and retaliation by Korean-American command staff at the La Palma Police Department. Ross Byer joined the department in May 2022 and completed his training that August with positive performance evaluations, according to court records. His performance remained satisfactory until he was reassigned that year to a different sergeant."
"Byer alleged the sergeant, who is Korean-American, favored a Korean officer on the same shift and routinely gave Byer a heavier workload. During the trial, he acknowledged giving Byer more assignments than Byer's Korean partner, records show. Byer reported the treatment to Capt. Jesse Amend in January and February 2023, alleging disparate treatment and remarks about wanting an all-Korean police force, Byer's legal team said."
A jury awarded $8.4 million to Ross Byer, a former White La Palma police officer who alleged discrimination and retaliation by Korean-American command staff. Byer joined the department in May 2022 and completed training in August with positive evaluations. Performance remained satisfactory until reassignment to Sgt. Won Koh, who allegedly favored a Korean partner and assigned Byer heavier workloads. Byer reported disparate treatment and remarks about wanting an all-Korean force to Capt. Jesse Amend in early 2023. Two other white officers previously raised similar concerns about Koh, including retaliation and negative evaluations. Koh rated Byer 'needs improvement' in May 2023, denying a pay increase. Byer resigned June 1, 2023, and reported discrimination, retaliation, and alleged directives to target Black drivers; no investigation followed.
Read at www.ocregister.com
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