Fullerton Police Department

The Fullerton Police Department of Fullerton, California, was established in 1904 when the city incorporated. The Fullerton Police Department currently employs 153 sworn officers and 78 civilian employees. It has a budget of about $35 million. The current chief is Dan Hughes.

The department has a Uniform Division, a Service Division and a Detective Division all commanded by officers in the rank of captain.

In April 2003, press reports indicated that two unnamed Fullerton police officers were suspended without pay for 60 hours while two more senior supervisors were suspended for 12.5 hours. The officers had been called to an address because of a possible suicide of a woman. One officer squatted next to the unconscious victim, passed wind and remarked, "This ought to wake her up." The second officer climbed into bed with the woman and pretended to lick her.

On the night of March 17, 2010, a number of Fullerton police personnel arrested an unnamed college student. The student filed a complaint that the police threatened him, broke his fingers and tortured him before stealing his iPod and $140. An internal investigation by the department confirmed that Officer Cary Tong had in fact violated department policy and broke the man’s finger.

On June 1, 2010, Fullerton police conducted a lineup of assault suspects on a local street. The victim sat in a police car about 25 feet from the three men and identified the one she thought had attacked her. The police then arrested Emmanuel Martinez instead of the man she indicated. Martinez was held in jail for five months until the matter was sorted out.

In the same month, Officer Kenton Hampton objected to Edward Quinonez observing him conduct a traffic stop. He arrested Quinonez claiming he was intoxicated. In the course of the arrest, Quinonez was injured in the head. hospital reports and taped evidence showed he was not intoxicated. In July 2013, the city agreed to pay the man $25,000 to settle the matter. Officer Hampton was present at the death of Kelly Thomas in July, but was not charged.

On the night of October 20, 2010, Fullerton police officers burst into the house of Robyn Nordell without warning. They had entered the wrong house while looking for someone. The four officers did not report the mistake to the police department for five days. The matter was settled out of court. In October of the next year, the police chief publicly apologized.

In June 2011, press reports indicated that a Fullerton police officer, Kelly Janeth Mejia had been arrested at Miami International Airport after stealing an iPad at a security checkpoint. The officer was placed on paid leave by the department. She was fired in October, although the department would not make a public statement as to why she was discharged. She admitted her guilt in court on February 2012 and was sentenced to pay $100 in court costs, a $250 charitable donation and a requirement to attend a "theft class." In July 2011, Fullerton police officer Todd Alan Major plead guilty to two charges involving embezzlement and theft to fuel his drug habit. He was sentenced to six months in jail.

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