San Diego Unified School District police chief retires amid harassment allegations

San Diego Unified School District's police chief is retiring after just two years on the job and months after accusations surfaced that he sexually assaulted a police officer, discriminated against other persons and authorized labor law violations.

In December, 11 officers, about a third of the small department, sued Chief Alfonso Contreras and the district, alleging that he and other supervisors he is friends with discriminated against them for years because their race, disability, gender and sexual orientation.

The lawsuit also alleged that Contreras sexually assaulted a female police officer years ago.

Contreras, who spent more than three decades with the department, has been on paid administrative leave since January, a district official said. Most of the allegations were first made public in August last year.

“The district would like to thank Chief Contreras for all of his efforts and contributions to providing a safe learning environment for our students, staff and communities over the past 32 years,” the police chief wrote via Acting Donald Braun in a memo to school police personnel on May 24. “He has been a faithful steward of the district and we appreciate all of his hard work.” We wish him good luck in his future endeavors.

Contreras did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The plaintiff officers attributed the harassment and abuse to what they called a clique within the department centered around Contreras and the investigating sergeant. Jennifer Gruner. The plaintiffs said the two had a decades-long relationship, creating a conflict of interest within the department and special privileges for Gruner.

The plaintiffs said members of the clique — who they say also include Capt. Ivan Picazo, Capt. David Landman and Sgt. Robert Bonilla – subjected police officers to verbal abuse, mocked them for their health problems, made anti-gay and racist comments, and denied them training, overtime, and job opportunities. promotion. They also alleged that Gruner committed time card fraud with the knowledge of his supervisor.

The lawsuit also names district Superintendent Lamont Jackson as a defendant in addition to Contreras, Gruner and the school police department.

The lawsuit alleges that Jackson retaliated against one of the plaintiffs by intimidating his girlfriend, a teacher in the district. The lawsuit claimed Jackson visited her classroom, watched her teach and gave her an unwanted hug, even though they had never met before.

Jackson is under internal investigation for undisclosed reasons. It is unclear whether the allegations in the lawsuit are related.

Jackson did not respond to requests for comment.

Neither the plaintiffs' attorney nor the president of the school police union, which is one of the plaintiffs, could immediately be reached for comment.

It is also unclear whether the district conducted an investigation into the police allegations.

The next court date for the trial, a case management conference, is not scheduled until November 2025. ◆