Folsom pays $700K in discrimination suits, now has no Asian American police officers
.jpg "Former Folsom Police Department Officer James Dorris, pictured in 2015, was fired from the department in 2022, sued and the city has settled with him for $550,000.")
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- Folsom paid $700,000 to settle discrimination suits by two former Asian officers.
- After exits, the department has zero officers who identify as Asian among 69.
- Lawsuits described pervasive anti‑Asian conduct by multiple sergeants; city settled.
The city of Folsom has paid $700,000 to settle lawsuits from two former Folsom Police Department officers who alleged they experienced severe racism against Asian Americans while on the force.
Now that the two officers are no longer in the department, none of the department’s 69 officers are Asian American, according to Christine Brainerd, a city spokesperson.
Nearly 20% of Folsom residents are Asian, according to U.S. Census data.
“Such remarkable deficiencies contradict commonly accepted community policing standards,” one of the lawsuits, filed in 2023 in Sacramento Superior Court, stated. “An extreme deficiency of racial composition is a common factor in law enforcement employment race discrimination cases.”
The city earlier this month signed the settlement agreements, which The Sacramento Bee obtained from a California Public Records Act request. Former officer James Dorris’ settlement was $550,000, and former officer Kimberly Lim-Watson’s settlement was $48,000 in addition to a $102,000 workers compensation claim settlement.
The suits alleged the former officers endured “severe, pervasive, and continuous” racial harassment.
Three of the sergeants who committed the alleged racism are still with the department, including one who allegedly dragged a woman across the dirt. One has been promoted.
Brainerd said Police Chief Adam Green, who was sworn in Dec. 8, is committed to equity.
“New City of Folsom Police Chief Adam Green is committed to ensuring that every employee at the Folsom Police Department is treated fairly and feels valued,” said Brainerd. “Accountability and equity within the Police Department are priorities for Chief Green and City Manager Bryan Whitemyer, and they continue to ensure that these priorities are upheld as the Police Department moves forward.”
The allegations
The allegations in the suits included:
- Officers placed trash in, and anti-Asian offensive stickers on, the locker of Dorris, who is Asian. One sticker depicted an Asian man being shot in the head during the Vietnam War.
- Sgt. Tim Galovich, Dorris’ supervisor, would mock the Asian accent frequently, over three years. He also would say: “A good way to make Dorris blind is to put a windshield in front of him,” referring to the racist stereotype that Asians can’t drive. Galovicih, who is still a sergeant in the department, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
- While at the shooting range, Sgt. Warner Herndon was “dissatisfied” with Lim’s position in the prone position. “Herndon kicked her feet and subsequently grabbed her by the ankles and drug her several feet across the dirt.” She reported the matter to Human Resources, which determined it unfounded. “The statement provided is inaccurate,” said Herndon, who is still a sergeant. “The allegations were thoroughly investigated and determined to be unfounded.”
- Sgt. Roman Kehm said, “let me make it clear to you Dorris, “Ching Cha Ching Chang Cho. Understand now?” Kehm, who is still a sergeant, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- Officers “attempted to enforce legal restrictions” during COVID shutdown orders against Powerhouse Pub, an Asian-owned bar, in Folsom, and not the other four non-Asian owned bars nearby.
- Dorris was terminated in 2022, in part due to bogus write ups from Galovich. He had been with the department since 2005.
- At the start of the pandemic, at a day shift briefing, an officer played a song about “Chinese flu” while mocking the Asian accent. Galovich did not stop it, but laughed.
- In 2015, then-Officer Brandon Monsoor accidentally sent a text to Lim that read: “I’ve only been working OT for an hour, and I already want to knock Kim Lim... out. She has reconfirmed that she is the dumbest officer we have. Absolute embarrassment.” Monsoor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He’s now a sergeant.
Other suits
“The City of Folsom has agreed to resolve these matters without admitting any liability or fault,” Brainerd said in an email. “We believe a settlement is the most responsible way to bring the issue to a close and avoid the expense and uncertainty of further litigation.”
Of the 69 officers on the force, three are Black, seven are Latino, and 58 are white, according to Brainerd.
Separately, the city last month settled a lawsuit from Laura Knudsen, a former community service officer who was born in Canada, for $120,000. It also in April settled a lawsuit for $250,000 from Emese Szijarto, a current city employee, alleging frequent racism from a former employee in the fleet office.
So far the city of Folsom has spent about $860,000 on outside legal fees on the four cases, Brainerd said.
In Sacramento, a battalion chief, who is Black, filed a lawsuit against the city in 2023 alleging racial discrimination.
