A La Verne Fire battalion chief secretly took more than 250 videos, 1,500 photographers and kept a 235-page file of notes, some of which included conversations union members had with their wives, the La Verne Firefighters Association alleges in a new claim filed against the city last week.
The association, engaged in a legal battle with the city the last 10 months, alleges Battalion Chief Michael Thompson began his surveillance of union members in the summer of 2017 with the intent to gather evidence for disciplinary action against them. In the four-page claim, the union acknowledges it is willing to settle the dispute out of court if La Verne agrees to remove both the fire chief and battalion chief and welcome firefighters in the hiring process to replace them.