Gay Officer Files Harassment Lawsuit Against Oceanside Police
metroweekly.comobjected to his alleged “lifestyle.”Peppard, a second-generation officer, was at first praised and recognized by his superiors as a high performer, but things changed when his partner “outed” him to other officers.
At that point, Peppard says he noticed a shift in the attitudes of his co-workers and superiors.In August 2017, after nearly a year on the job, Peppard claims his direct supervisor, Sgt.
Brandt, and Field Training Officer Matt Byrd had a conversation about his job performance. Peppard alleges that Brandt told him, “Your lifestyle choice do not add up to the values of our police department.
Your dad is probably disappointed and embarrassed. He probably would prefer you turn in your badge and gun.”Brandt also allegedly told Peppard, “You need more life experiences since you have only lived at your parents’ house, although your mom did just have your brother which is piss poor planning if you ask me.”When Peppard asked why his mother’s pregnancy was brought into a performance evaluation and asked what “lifestyle choice” meant exactly, Byrd allegedly told him, “Shut the fuck up.
