Sgt. Wayne Griffin, who was placed on administrative leave amid a sexual harassment complaint by a fellow officer within weeks of being named interim chief, was fired from the department last week, multiple sources with knowledge of the development tell The Current.
Reached on his cell phone Sunday afternoon, Griffin declined to discuss his termination, saying he plans to meet with his attorney, Allyson Prejean, early this week and would likely have a comment by Tuesday. Asked if he planned to appeal his firing, Griffin said the statement would also address that question.
Both Prejean and LCG spokesman Jamie Angelle separately responded that they would have “no comment at this time.”
Griffin was named to the interim post on Oct. 7 after Mayor-President Josh Guillory fired Chief Thomas Glover, who has appealed his termination (a hearing before the Lafayette Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board is set for Feb. 9). Griffin, then a SWAT commander and former public information officer who had been with the department for nearly two decades, was a finalist in contention with Glover for the job 10 months earlier.
On Oct. 21, LCG announced that a sexual harassment complaint had been filed that day and that its Human Resources Department would immediately launch an investigation into the allegations “in coordination with the Lafayette Police Department’s Internal Affairs.”
LCG announced Jan. 6 that the sexual harassment investigation had concluded and Griffin would not be reinstated as interim chief. Instead, he was returned to the rank of sergeant but remain on administrative leave during the disciplinary process.
Citing “the ongoing process related to the investigation and personnel involved,” LCG attorneys refused to turn over the investigative file after The Current requested it in mid-January.
Maj. Monte Potier, in command while the Guillory administration searches for a new chief, handed down the discipline against Griffin. Potier is the fifth person to lead the department in two years.
“This administration has zero tolerance for sexual harassment,” Guillory said in the Oct. 21 press release announcing the investigation. “The administration also respects due process. We take this matter seriously. I trust in the training, experience, and professionalism of our human resources manager to lead a fair and impartial investigation.” The administration confirmed that an independent attorney was called in to oversee the investigation.