The City of Whittier has agreed to pay $3.5 million to four women who say a former police officer sexually abused and groomed them while they were teenagers in the department’s Explorer program in the 1970s, resolving a set of long-delayed civil claims that surfaced only after the women compared stories decades later.
The lawsuits say the alleged abuse took place during police ride-alongs and at the officer’s home, at a time when the plaintiffs were participating in the youth program and hoping to build careers in law enforcement. They say they did not speak publicly about what happened until conversations in 2020 made them realize their experiences were strikingly similar, which eventually led to coordinated litigation.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the city agreed to the $3.5 million settlement to resolve claims against former Whittier Police Officer Charles Drylie and the City of Whittier. Attorneys with the DeMarco Law Firm filed suits against both Drylie and the city, and some matters were resolved shortly before trials were scheduled to begin.
What the lawsuits say
Court filings from the plaintiffs’ attorneys describe in detail how the alleged abuse unfolded. One complaint says Drylie began abusing a plaintiff in 1976 when she was 15 and that assaults continued for years, often during ride-alongs, inside squad cars, and at his home, according to DeMarco Law Firm filings.
The complaints also allege that other officers knew or should have known about inappropriate conduct and that the department later reassigned Drylie to positions that still put him in contact with young people. “I started when I was 15 because I had wanted to become a police officer,” one of the women told NBC Los Angeles.
City response
In a March 18 press release, the City of Whittier said the alleged incidents took place decades ago and that the defendants named in the suits had not worked for the department for many years before any allegations were made.
“The City embraces a culture of respect and an environment of safety for all employees and community members, including the Explorers,” the statement said. The city added that settlement costs will be covered jointly by Whittier and its insurance provider. It said it remains committed to improving safety and accountability in city programs while related cases stay in active litigation.
Explorers programs in context
The allegations in Whittier land amid a broader national reckoning over police Explorer posts. Investigations of Explorer programs around the country have documented scores of historical abuse claims and have shown that unsupervised one-on-one situations like ride-alongs can create opportunities for misconduct, according to reporting by The Marshall Project. Attorneys for the Whittier plaintiffs say the pattern they describe tracks closely with those wider concerns about supervision and youth safety.
Legal implications
The complaints were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and include causes of action such as sexual battery and negligent training and supervision, according to the plaintiffs’ filings. The settlement is a civil resolution. It compensates survivors and closes this round of litigation, but it is not a criminal conviction. City officials and attorneys say the goal is accountability and creating space for other survivors who might still be weighing whether to come forward.
Some of the women and their attorneys have said they hope the settlement encourages additional survivors to speak up. The DeMarco firm has noted that some plaintiffs may be available to talk publicly about their experiences, while the city says it will continue working to resolve remaining claims and tighten safeguards in its youth programs.
