Racial discrimination is not only occurring in the Millbrae police department but city officials did nothing to stop the behavior, according to an eight-page federal lawsuit filed against the city and Cmdr. Marc Farber last month.

Sgt. Danny Singson, an Asian officer who joined the Millbrae police department in 1998, alleges Farber, a white male, has a history of hostile behavior toward minority employees, according to the suit field Oct. 21 in the Northern California U.S. District Court.

The city of Millbrae is also named in the suit since both the past and current police chief “knew or should have known about the harassment and failed to take prompt, effective remedial action,” the complaint reads.

City Attorney Joan Cassman said the city recently received the lawsuit. Claims are being examined and the city will be responding to it appropriately, she said.

Farber did not return calls for comment.

“This is not just about Singson,” said John Houston Scott, a San Francisco-based attorney representing Singson. “It’s about all the Asian officers.”

Scott claimed there is a history of discrimination against Asian officers by Farber, noting one man quit the department to work for the county as a result. Scott hopes to work through mediation with both the city and police association to find a solution that works for all parties.

Although Scott confirmed he had been trading calls with city representatives, he would not confirm any contact with the police union.

Within the eight-page complaint are allegations of discipline for unfounded reasons such as mistakes to scheduling, a person’s learning disability, deficiencies in field training and errors in evaluating officers.

The first specific event listed took place in November 2008 when Farber contacted the former police chief Tom Hitchcock to report Singson and his patrol team were speeding during a pursuit. As a result, Singson was placed on paid administrative leave and an investigation began. Singson was not made aware of the alleged misconduct, according to the complaint.

A meeting with Singson and Hitchcock to discuss in-car camera footage of the event resulted in Singson returning to work the next day. The investigation was dropped.

An incident in February alleges Farber, who was off duty, approached Singson, who was on duty, in front of a local diner to complain about multiple police vehicles being in one place. The outburst spurred a call from a resident to the police department later that day to check on Singson, according to court documents.

Shortly after, Millbrae welcomed a new police chief, Lee Violett. Singson explained the harassment issues with Farber. Singson was told the issues would be discussed with Farber, which resulted in Farber confronting Singson and denying the claims.

Singson believes Farber’s influence kept him from getting one of two spots on the San Mateo County SWAT team despite passing multiple tests, according to court documents.

Singson is not the only officer listed as being negatively effected by the situation.

According to court documents, Farber unsuccessfully attempted to get Gaby Chaghouri, another minority officer, released. Another Asian officer, George Le, had field training extended at Faber’s request noting officer safety issues. Singson, Le’s supervisor, and the Field Training Officer Robert Raw, did not feel the extension was necessary.

None of the named officers are parties to the lawsuit.

Complaints by Farber of Singson improperly filing out an evaluation are also included in the court documents. Farber suggested a one-week suspension without pay for Singson after he was late to a staff meeting. In late September, Singson received a seven-page document from Farber recommending further discipline for incidents dating back more than a year, which were not detailed in the court complaint.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.