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Fullerton police chief, captain put on leave during investigation of off-duty conduct

by in News

Fullerton Police Chief David Hendricks and Capt. Thomas Oliveras are on leave while police investigate an incident at a concert in Irvine Friday, when the men were off duty.

Fullerton officers were informed Saturday, Aug. 25, that the men were placed on paid administrative leave and Capt. Bob Dunn is now serving as acting chief, according to a memo provided by Fullerton Sgt. Jon Radus, a police department spokesman.

Irvine police are handling the investigation, and Fullerton City Manager Ken Domer said the city will hire an independent investigator to look at the incident.

“We responded to a disturbance call” at 9:42 p.m. Friday at the Lady Antebellum concert at FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine police spokeswoman Kim Mohr said. “No one was arrested or cited at the time. The parties involved were asked to leave.”

Hendricks and Oliveras could not be reached Monday afternoon for comment.

Fullerton Police Chief David Hendricks has been placed on administrative leave. (File photo by Brittany Murray / Daily Breeze)

Hendricks was named Fullerton’s chief in July 2017 after 23 years with the Long Beach Police Department. Oliveras has been a Fullerton officer for about 25 years and was promoted to captain in 2015, according to an article from Behind the Badge OC.

Irvine police have contacted the Orange County District Attorney’s Office about the incident, Mohr said.

Mohr confirmed the incident was a disturbance involving two emergency medical technicians and the Fullerton officers, but said what happened is being investigated and no one was injured in the incident.

Fullerton Councilwoman Jennifer Fitzgerald said she knows little about the incident, but “what I know of Chief Hendricks and Captain Oliveras is that they are fantastic guys and fantastic public servants and I look forward to the investigation being complete.”

Irvine City Council members were briefed on the situation in an email Saturday, Councilwoman Christina Shea said, but she did not disclose further details.

The Fullerton Police Officers Association, which represents rank-and-file officers but not Hendricks or Oliveras, sent out a statement Monday saying the group “fully supports Acting Chief Dunn and will do anything necessary to assist him during this time.”