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Veteran San Diego Police Sergeant Resigns Amid Ticket-Fixing Scandal

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Story Published: Feb 22, 2012 at 6:18 PM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 23, 2012 at 12:45 AM PDT

SAN DIEGO - A veteran San Diego police sergeant facing misdemeanor ticket-fixing charges quit the force last week, a department spokeswoman announced Wednesday.

Kevin Friedman, who had been with the department for more than 26 years, resigned effective Friday, SDPD public-affairs Lt. Andra Brown said.

Last month, the state Attorney General's Office charged Friedman, 48, and local prosecutor Allison Worden with one count each of conspiracy to obstruct justice and two counts each of alteration or destruction of a vehicle citation.

The misdemeanor criminal complaint alleges that Worden was a passenger in a vehicle driven by another deputy district attorney, Amy Maund, last May 28 when they were ticketed at a checkpoint for failing to wear seat belts.

After Worden, 36, was unsuccessful in talking her way out of the citations, she called Friedman, a friend and supervisor in the SDPD Traffic Division, and "asked him if there was something he could do," state prosecutors allege.

According to the complaint, Friedman granted the request by removing the citation forms from a basket at a police station without informing the officer who had issued them. Worden, for her part, allegedly told Maund the tickets had been dismissed because another woman had complained about the officer.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis told reporters her office had cooperated with a police investigation into the alleged ticket-fixing, but ultimately decided it was more appropriate for the state to prosecute the case since a county employee was involved.

The police department gave no official reason for Friedman's resignation, but some are questioning if the ticket-fixing scandal was the real motive.  

"There's something else going on and it's plain as day," said attorney Dan Gilleon.


While serving as a traffic-unit supervisor, Friedman had worked over Anthony Arevalos, a one-time San Diego police officer sentenced last month to nearly nine years in prison for seeking sexual favors from women during vehicle stops in the Gaslamp District.

This month, Friedman and the city were named in a civil lawsuit by one of Arevalos' victims. The suit claims Friedman and other supervisors were aware of Arevalos' predatory tendencies and allowed them to continue.

Gilleon represents 8 other victims who are eyeing similar legal action. He says lawsuits from all of Arevalos' victims could cost the city millions.
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