The former assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday that his recent demotion to the rank of commander was unfair, following an accusation that a tracking device was found by an ex-girlfriend, who is also an LAPD officer.
"Before any investigation was completed, Chief [Michel] Moore recklessly took significant actions inconsistent with my due process," Labrada said on the sidewalk outside his attorney's office in Beverly Hills.
"Having my character attacked, consistently, without due process in a rushed investigation, by politically motivated department leadership is, at best, concerning," he said.
Labrada was removed from his position earlier this month after that other officer reported to the Ontario Police Department that she had discovered an Apple AirTag after the couple ended a six-year relationship.
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Prosecutors in San Bernardino County declined to file criminal charges, and Labrada said the leak of that investigation by members of the LAPD was deliberate and had caused him and his family emotional distress.
"What should have been a private matter became a public spectacle because of my title and employment with the LAPD," Labrada said.
The LAPD has confirmed Labrada's demotion but did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Labrada's Tuesday remarks.
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According to the labor agreement that governs LAPD command positions, such as assistant chief, the police chief has the authority to promote, remove or replace top executives at will, with or without providing a reason.
Labrada said Moore took the action before an internal investigation had been completed, and Labrada's lawyer complained some news coverage of the case incorrectly characterized the Ontario police investigation as a "stalking" case.
"No one alleged that, no one accused that, no one investigated that," said attorney Jeremy Tissot.
"It sounds like someone who is a felon, who's a dangerous felon. This man is everything, that's the opposite of that," Tissot said.
Moore has said Labrada was also being directed to the Board of Rights, which is a secret, internal trial board that decides whether Labrada violated department rules. The hearing officers may clear Labrada or impose punishment, up to a recommendation of termination.
