The current, former deputy chiefs of police filed a lawsuit against Wichita city officials.

Two former and one current deputy police chief of Wichita sued the city, accusing city officials, other officers, and the police union of corruption, lies, revenge, slander, and discrimination against them.

The federal lawsuit seeks a jury trial and a $2.4 million verdict and says the city violated numerous laws, including First Amendment rights.

The 41-page complaint is a continuation of a letter they sent to the city in September threatening legal action. The letter, which also requested the resignation of city manager Robert Layton, was required before the lawsuit was filed. The city denied requests made in a letter in October, the lawsuit says.

Deputy Chief José Salcido and former Deputy Chiefs Chester Pinkston and Wanda Givens did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. James Thompson, their lawyer, declined to comment, citing concerns about discussing the case in an article by an Eagle reporter whom he said he might try to call as a witness.

Former chief Gordon Ramsay, who participated in the threatening letter but was not listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, also did not respond to a request for comment.

City officials, who usually do not comment on pending litigation, responded.

In an email, spokeswoman Megan Lovely said the city “looks forward to vigorously defending its reputation in court and providing evidence and witnesses that will disprove the narrative” and that “there have never been such blatantly false accusations against the authorities before.” City.”

The lawsuit comes after an internal city committee accused Ramsay, Salcido and Pinkston of mishandling investigation and discipline after Wichita officers sent racist and other inappropriate text messages.

The lawsuit goes into more detail about reports of an ongoing feud between the department’s top management and former HR director Chris Bezruki, who retired in December.

The lawsuit alleges that Bezruki reversed disciplinary decisions, spread rumors and promoted the agenda of the police union that won and fed him. Bezruki, in his 60s, planned to retire for years before charges were brought against him, the city said.

Layton, the lawsuit says, allowed this to happen despite the misgivings of Ramsay and his administration.

Layton called the allegations against him and Armless outrageous.

Wichita City Manager Won’t Resign, Calling Police Chiefs Allegations ‘Outrageous’

The lawsuit portrays Ramsay and his executive staff as a group that tried to root out corruption and wrongdoing in City Hall, only to be cornered by Layton and Bezruki.

Armless and defendants former deputy chief Troy Livingston (who last year was acting chief), current captain Wendell Nicholson, former captain Kevin Kohenderfer, Wichita City Council member Brian Fry and union officials David Inkelaar and Paul Zamorano “worked together to discredit and remove the plaintiffs” from their positions as deputy chiefs, the lawsuit says.

Fry was named in the lawsuit because he said at a city council meeting that Salcido and Pinkston, who were still in the department at the time, were trying to blackmail the city and should resign.

The union could not be contacted for comment, but it had previously denied the allegations.

Livingston and Nicholson declined to comment. Kohenderfer declined to comment until the lawsuit was read.

The letter threatening legal action was sent after an Eagle investigation in March 2022 found light disciplinary action was taken against officers who sent racist, extremist and indelicate text messages.

The messages include a photoshopped image of a naked black man sitting on the head of George Floyd, an officer with ties to the 3 Percent extremist group, and officers in a text thread talking casually about shootings and killings of people. The only officer initially suspended was Kohenderfer, who referred to Ramsay as a tool in a text message.

After public outrage over the story, city officials reopened the case. Since then, four officers have been suspended and the number involved in text messages has risen to 14.

Contributing: Chance Swaim of The Eagle

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