Fired Vancouver, Wash., officer settles for $1.65M

Lawyers for a former Vancouver, Wash., police officer say he has reached a $1.65 million settlement with the city in a federal discrimination case.

In 2006, Navin Sharma was fired after being accused of making errors in his DUI arrest reports. Sharma's case had been scheduled to go to trial in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

A news release from Sharma lawyers Scott Blankenship and Greg Ferguson said the settlement was reached in a mandatory mediation session. They say they had gathered evidence to chronicle a pattern of harassment, including "racially explicit telephone messages and profane images."

Vancouver City Manager Pat McDonnell said Tuesday the city settled to avoid further litigation costs and more disruption to the Vancouver Police Department.

The city will amend Sharma's personnel file to reflect he retired in good standing.

In 2000, Sharma filed his first federal lawsuit, saying he was targeted after he testified against two sergeants in an internal-affairs investigation. That case ended with a $287,000 settlement.

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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com