A Folsom police officer was fired for racist texts, sex acts on-duty. Now, he’s suing the city

A former Folsom police officer fired for using racist language and allegedly engaging in sexual activity while on duty is suing the city claiming he suffered harassment and discrimination from colleagues during his nearly 20-year career with the city.

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 6 by former police Officer James Dorris, who is Asian American, is one of three recent allegations revolving around racial harassment lodged against the Folsom Police Department.

“As a result of the unlawful conduct of defendants, (Dorris) has suffered severe emotional distress, wage loss and loss of benefits, diminution of his lifetime pension benefits, damage to his career,” the lawsuit filed in Sacramento Superior Court says.

Dorris’ attorney, David Foyil, did not respond to a request for comment.

Christine Brainerd, a spokeswoman for the city of Folsom, said in a statement that the accusations by all three former employees were “inconsistent” with the standards of Folsom Police Department.

“The city of Folsom does not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment and takes these allegations seriously,” Brainerd wrote, adding the city values diverse backgrounds and inclusivity of all its employees.

Brainerd also called Dorris’ lawsuit “retaliatory” after he was let go for allegations of misconduct in an employment decision approved by an independent arbitrator.

Dorris, who was hired around 2005 and fired by Folsom in 2022, allegedly violated 13 codes of conduct listed in the Folsom Police Department Policy Manual, a memorandum of understanding between the city of Folsom and the police union, the Folsom Peace Officers Association, according to a letter sent to Dorris by Folsom City Manager Elaine Andersen.

The alleged violations include: having a woman perform oral sex on him at least four times while on duty, lying during Folsom police’s internal investigation about misconduct and sending racist text messages prejudicial against African Americans.

The details of each accusation are unclear. The documents provided by the city of Folsom are heavily redacted and provide only a glimpse into why Dorris was fired.

The independent arbitrator, David A. Weinberg, reviewed the city’s decision and said many of the accusations levied against Dorris were not sufficiently proven by the city.

But Weinberg found the city correctly concluded Dorris should be fired for lying during the internal investigation and for sending racist texts.

On Jan. 19, 2020, Dorris texted someone, “That’s why I’m going to arrest as many blacks as I can tomorrow to celebrate,” according to the letter written by Andersen. The letter redacted the recipient’s name.

The next day, Jan. 20, 2020, was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On that day, Dorris texted, “At the jail arrested a black guy,” Andersen’s letter said.

Dorris defended himself during Folsom police’s internal investigation, and said it was “crude humor and (an) inside joke” with a person whose name is redacted. He also said the comments about the holiday for the slain civil rights leader have no nexus to his employment and that it was a private conversation never intended to be made public.

Weinberg pushed back against Dorris’ defense.

“Such comments, even if made in jest, casts the department in the worst possible light and could provide reason for otherwise sound police actions to be overturned in a court of law,” Weinberg wrote.

The lawsuit’s allegations

Dorris accuses several officers of racist behavior starting in 2007, according to the lawsuit.

Officers put “anti-Asian and racially offensive” stickers on his locker, the lawsuit alleges. It also says police made comments about his slanted eyes.

“During every shift that (Dorris) worked, he would see these stickers and they would destroy his morale at the beginning of each shift,” the lawsuit says. “There would be times where (Dorris) would pull over in a parking lot and get emotional.”

The discriminatory behavior continued to escalate, the lawsuit says.

According to the suit, one sergeant attempted to mimic an Asian accent and would ask him “in a mocking manner” to pronounce arrestees’ Asian names.

Another sergeant was teaching Dorris and up to 20 other officers at a shooting range in August 2020. The sergeant turned to him and said “let me make it clear to you Dorris, ‘Ching Cha Ching Chang Cho. Understand now?’”

“After they finished at the range, (Dorris) remembers driving home and becoming overwhelmed with emotion,” the lawsuit said. “(Dorris) pulled over and cried uncontrollably. (Dorris) felt helpless and indeed broken.”

Attorneys in the case are scheduled to appear March 8 for a case management hearing.

Other instances of racist cops?

Two other former officers — Kimberly Moy Lim-Watson, who is of Asian descent, and Homer Limon, who is Mexican American — reported similar racist incidents through attorney Foyil, claiming the department failed to reprimand others for alleged racist comments.

The claims were part of complaints of employment discrimination filed in 2023 by the officers with the state of California that were provided by Folsom city officials.

No lawsuits have been filed by either Lim-Watson, who is still a sworn officer, or Limon, who retired in Sacramento Superior Court, and neither could be reached for comment.