San Diego Unified School District police chief retiring amid harassment allegations

The San Diego Unified School District’s police chief is retiring after just two years in the job and months after accusations surfaced that he sexually assaulted an officer, discriminated against others and allowed violations of employment law.

In December, 11 officers — roughly a third of the small department — sued Chief Alfonso Contreras and the district, alleging that he and other supervisors he is friends with had discriminated against them for years based on their race, disability, gender and sexual orientation.

The lawsuit also alleged that Contreras sexually assaulted a female officer years ago.

Contreras, who has spent more than three decades with the department, has been on paid administrative leave since January, a district representative said. Most of the allegations were first made public in August last year.

“The district would like to thank Chief Contreras for all his efforts and contributions to provide a safe learning environment for our students, staff and communities for the past 32 years,” interim Police Chief Donald Braun wrote in a memo to school police personnel May 24. “He has been a faithful steward to the district, and we value all his hard work. We wish him all the luck on his future endeavors.”

Contreras did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The officer plaintiffs attributed the harassment and abuse to what they referred to as a clique in the department that centered around Contreras and investigative Sgt. Jenifer Gruner. The plaintiffs said the two have been in a relationship for decades, creating a conflict of interest in the department and special privileges for Gruner.

Plaintiffs said members of the clique — which they said also includes Capt. Ivan Picazo, Capt. David Landman and Sgt. Robert Bonilla — have subjected officers to verbal abuse, mocked them for their medical conditions, made anti-gay and racist comments and denied them training, overtime pay and promotional opportunities. They also alleged that Gruner had committed time card fraud with her supervisor’s knowledge.

The lawsuit also names district Superintendent Lamont Jackson as a defendant in addition to Contreras, Gruner and the school police department.

The lawsuit alleges Jackson retaliated against one of the plaintiffs by intimidating his girlfriend, a teacher in the district. The lawsuit claimed Jackson went to her classroom, watched her teach and gave her an unwanted hug, even though they had never met before.

Jackson is under internal investigation for undisclosed reasons. It’s unclear whether the lawsuit allegations are related.

Jackson has not responded to requests for comment.

Neither the plaintiffs’ attorney nor the school police union president, who is one of the plaintiffs, could immediately be reached for comment.

It’s also not clear whether the district has completed an investigation into the police allegations.

The next court date for the lawsuit, a case management conference, isn’t scheduled until November 2025. ◆