“Twenty-five percent of the sergeant positions could have been performed by a person with Officer Larrigan’s disability,” he said, citing positions such as financial crimes intelligence, youth services, internal affairs and background investigator.
But the department did not have an official meeting with Larrigan to determine whether her disability could be accommodated in one of those various positions, he added.
“In that mutual exchange, the department determines whether they can reasonably accommodate the disability,” Van Blaricom said.
But Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams has testified that the physical ability to make arrests has long been a standard requirement for sergeants, not only in the Glendale Police Department, but in the state and nation.
During cross-examination, Senior Assistant City Atty. Ann Maurer said that in order to be promoted to sergeant, Larrigan needed to pass a series of tests, some of which she failed, and the department was under no obligation to start an interactive process.
Maurer also challenged the extent of Van Blaricom’s knowledge about the job duties of Glendale Police sergeants.
“As you sit here with regard to the sergeant position, do you know what they do on a daily basis?” she asked.
She also said the Americans with Disability Act was fully enacted six years after Van Blaricom’s retirement from law enforcement.
Dori MacDonald, a former human resources analyst for the city of Glendale, also testified Tuesday refuting Larrigan’s claim that Adams told a panel not to promote a disabled officer.
“The chief, when briefing the panel, didn’t say anything about not wanting a disabled officer to be promoted,” MacDonald said.
The trial is set to resume Wednesday morning in department B of Burbank Superior Court.
CHRIS WIEBE covers public safety and the courts. He may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at chris.wiebe@ latimes.com.
