By Joanna Putman
Police1
LOS ANGELES — An LAPD officerhas lost her lawsuit against the department, which alleged she had been retaliated against for refusing to remove some social media videos, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In addition to her work as an LAPD officer, Toni McBride advocates for gun rights on social media. Videos on her social media pages show her firing guns at competitions and at training ranges. In her lawsuit against the LAPD, she alleged that former Chief Michel Moore blocked her from receiving promotions after she refused to remove certain videos from her accounts, according to the report.
She also claimed that Moore said he would “destroy her career” if she did not delete her accounts.
On April 4, when asked if McBride had been treated unfairly, a jury simply responded with “no.” During the suit, attorneys representing Moore and the LAPD denied that Moore told her to delete her account, according to the report. They argued that the content McBride posted damaged her credibility as an LAPD officer.
McBride’s attorney’s held that her First Amendment rights had been violated, with McBride asserting during testimony that she should have the right to post on her social media pages, especially regarding Second Amendment issues, according to the report. Attorney Gregory Smith stated that McBride would not appeal the suit but plans to file a separate discrimination lawsuit alleging that male officers were treated with more leniency for similar conduct.
