Police Union Official Faces Sex Charges

A prominent Los Angeles police union official who is also a member of the city’s elected charter commission is going to be relieved of duty and faces a hearing on charges that he made inappropriate sexual advances to a female officer during a 1997 business trip, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Sgt. Dennis Zine, 51, one of the union’s most outspoken directors and a frequent critic of Chief Bernard C. Parks, faces 13 counts of sexual and other misconduct. Denise Ward, 36, the LAPD officer who accused Zine of misconduct, has also filed a civil lawsuit against the 23-year LAPD veteran.

Among the allegations leveled at Zine is that he put a container of urine and a dozen condoms in Ward’s suitcase after she repeatedly rebuffed his sexual advances.

Parks has ordered that Zine be relieved of duty. However, since Zine has been out of town on vacation and could not be served in person, the chief’s order has not officially taken effect. Zine, a politically ambitious and gregarious union official, could not be reached for comment. His home message machine says he will be out of state until the end of the month.

Some of Zine’s fellow union directors questioned whether the allegations against him were in retaliation for his criticisms of the chief.

“Any time one of the union directors is charged by the chief of police, there is a concern of it possibly being retaliation,” said Dave Hepburn, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. “We’re exploring that possibility. . . . We don’t know the facts of the case.”

A spokesman for Parks rejected any notion that the actions against Zine were retaliatory. LAPD officials declined further comment on the matter, citing personnel confidentiality laws.

According to court documents, Zine invited Ward, who is assigned to the LAPD’s Pacific Division, to a weeklong police union function in Calgary, Canada, telling her all her expenses would be paid by the union. Ward, who received permission from an LAPD supervisor to attend the event, accepted the invitation believing that she would have her own hotel room, according to court documents.

Once there, Zine apparently told Ward her room reservation had been canceled and that she would have to stay in his room, but she could have her own bed, Ward’s lawsuit contends.

“On the first night of the trip . . . Zine lit candles in the room and turned out the lights while Ward was in the bathroom,” the suit states. “Upon exiting the bathroom, Zine told Ward, ‘I thought this would be romantic.’ Ward immediately turned on the lights and blew out the candles and explained to Zine that this was not a romantic trip and they were just friends.”

Later, during a dinner at the event with two other women, Zine complained that he brought Ward “all the way to Canada and the [expletive] isn’t even putting out,” the suit contends.

Zine allegedly continued to pursue Ward. At one point, according to the lawsuit, “Zine’s frustration grew after being rejected yet again [and he] screamed at Ward, ‘You’re no spring chicken, you know. . . . You’re not young. Girls your age date men my age.’ ”

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One night, the suit states, Zine, wearing only boxer shorts, climbed into bed with Ward. According to her suit, she screamed at him to get out, but Zine refused and proceeded “to rub his genitals up and down the body of Ward.”

Ward eventually moved into a another hotel room that was vacated by a Long Beach police officer, the suit says. When Zine found out, he allegedly screamed at Ward, calling her a “whore, a slut” and an “alley cat.”

LAPD and court documents allege that Zine then urinated in a container and placed it in Ward’s luggage, along with about a dozen condoms. One source familiar with the case said the container was a potato chip canister.

After the trip, Ward contends in her lawsuit, Zine circulated falsehoods about their relationship. Moreover, she alleges that she was retaliated against by other members of the department.

Ward is seeking unspecified damages for “humiliation, mental anguish and emotional and physical distress.”

Attorney Patrick McNicholas, who represents Ward, said his client “is a dedicated police officer and she wants to get this resolved as quickly and as amicably as possible with the department.” He said Ward would not comment.

Union officials said Zine’s temporary leave will not affect his status as a league director. Nor is it expected to have an impact on his position with the city’s charter commission.

However, the allegations could hurt any future political ambitions Zine may have. He once ran unsuccessfully for City Council and is considered a contender for a San Fernando Valley council seat.

Meanwhile, the suit against Zine puts City Atty. James K. Hahn in a potentially awkward position. Hahn, who has been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate, could alienate the politically powerful police union if he tries to shift the city’s potential liability in the suit onto the union by arguing that Zine’s actions were not within the scope of his official police duties.

A spokesman for the city attorney declined comment, citing pending litigation issues.

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Times staff writer Jim Newton contributed to this story.