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A city-commissioned investigation in Riverside has alleged that two code enforcement supervisors led a years-long campaign against street vendors, ignoring internal warnings and retaliating against a whistleblower. The report identified poetntial violations of state and local law, including theft, robbery, kidnapping, and impersonating a peace officer.

The actions of the officers and their supervisors exposed the city to extreme civil liability and an erosion of public trust through discriminatory practices. The officers in question no longer work for the city, and their supervisors have denied the allegations.

The report found a systematic pattern of unauthorized property seizure, with the duo confiscating vendor equipment and merchandise and not providing receipts. They also instructed subordinates to do so, and stored some of the seized items in an unlocked City Hall office nicknamed 'the vault'. The report also noted that one of the officers had a video on his city-owned laptop showing his toddler son playing in a room full of plush toys, which are sold by unlicensed street vendors.

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The investigation's findings have shocked residents, with hundreds of letters, emails, and texts accusing Riverside City Hall of toxic work conditions and 'civic indecency'. The city has not referred the allegations to prosecutors for possible criminal charges.

According to the report, the officers and their supervisors ignored internal warnings and retaliated against a whistleblower, exposing the city to extreme civil liability and an erosion of public trust through discriminatory practices.

The report identified potential violations of state and local law, including theft, robbery, kidnapping, and impersonating a peace officer. The officers in question no longer work for the city, and their supervisors have denied the allegations.

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The investigation also faulted the officers' supervisors for failing to follow up on complaints from a subordinate. The report found a systematic pattern of unauthorized property seizure, with the duo confiscating vendor equipment and merchandise and not providing receipts.

The report also noted that one of the officers had a video on his city-owned laptop showing his toddler son playing in a room full of plush toys, which are sold by unlicensed street vendors.

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The city has not referred the allegations to prosecutors for possible criminal charrges. According to the report, the officers and their supervisors ignored internal warnings and retaliated against a whistleblower, exposing the city to extreme civil liability and an erosion of public trust through discriminatory practices.

The report identified potential violations of state and local law, including theft, robbery, kidnapping, and impersonating a peace officer. The officers in question no longer work for the city, and their supervisors have denied the allegations.