Posted on April 11, 2005

Glendale Police Chief Leaving Job

Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor and Brent Whiting, Arizona Republic (Phoenix), April 9, 2005

After only six months as Glendale’s police chief, Andrew Kirkland resigned Friday, his tenure rocked by accusations of sexual harassment, creation of a hostile work environment and an “inappropriate” relationship with a female police officer.

An internal investigation found no evidence to substantiate any of those claims. But investigators concluded that Kirkland’s “behavior on duty was unbecoming” and had raised “too many questions about his integrity, truthfulness, honesty and fairness.” It added that “the allegations were further tied to inappropriate use of city resources and equipment.”

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The accusations against Kirkland that sparked the investigation included gender discrimination regarding promotional opportunities and work assignments and of disparate treatment and favoritism “due to an ongoing close personal relationship” between Kirkland and the female officer, whom he “frequently traveled with . . . to places like Washington, D.C., Florida and Los Angeles,” according to the investigative records.

Although the report says the accusations were unfounded, it added that witnesses expressed “disappointment over the rumors and the impact this issue has had on the Police Department.” Investigators were told that employees were distracted by “the perception of favoritism” and that they felt the chief’s relationship with the female officer was inappropriate.

Kirkland told investigators that a “friendship exists between himself and (the) female officer and they had become close due to working closely on projects.” He said any opportunities she received were based on her job performance.

City expense reports and travel records show that Kirkland and the police officer, who is a homeland-security representative for the city, did travel to several conferences. They include at least six trips since October for a National White Collar Crime Center meeting in Washington and an International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Los Angeles.

Receipts for the Los Angeles trip show early-morning and late-night room-service charges for two people, including $47.69 for a 6:47 a.m. breakfast and $27.72 for crème brulee and strawberry ice cream at 11:11 p.m. The female officer’s name is on the receipts, but they bear Kirkland’s signature.

There are at least two other trips the two shared on the taxpayers’ dime, representing about $1,200 in airfare, but no receipts or documentation were provided regarding where they went or the purpose of the trips. A third trip costing $584 in airfare for Kirkland was also unexplained.

While the officer’s expenses were approved by her supervisor, many of Kirkland’s expenses charged on the city’s credit card were never submitted to Beasley for approval, according to city officials.

“Quite a bit of it was missing,” Frisoni said about Kirkland’s receipts. “That is definitely an area of concern.”

While witnesses were split on the validity of the allegations, investigators found Kirkland’s behavior violated the city’s human-resources policies and procedures, according to the report.