Overview
- Local outlets first reported this week that Richard Fischer, a former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy who pleaded guilty in 2019, had been working as a chaplain for the San Diego Christian Law Enforcement Fellowship.
- CLEF announced on Tuesday that it had removed Fischer as a missionary chaplain, said it had fully separated him from the ministry, and issued an apology for hiring him.
- Fischer admitted to assaulting 16 women during on-duty encounters between 2015 and 2017, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison, and his actions led to roughly $10 million in civil settlements paid by San Diego County.
- The sheriff’s office condemned Fischer’s conduct, asked CLEF to remove Sheriff Kelly Martinez’s photo from its site, and public officials including State Sen. Catherine Blakespear pressed the group to sever ties.
- The episode has put faith-based and law-enforcement support programs under scrutiny over how they vet former officers for roles of trust and raised new questions about protecting victims and taxpayer liability.