VALENCIA BULLYING DECISION UPHELD.

Byline: CAROL ROCK Staff Writer

VALENCIA - A Los Angeles police officer accused of bullying employees at a local movie theater lost his appeal this week to have disciplinary action against him set aside.

On Wednesday, the Second District Court of Appeal affirmed a decision by the Superior Court to uphold a 65-day disciplinary suspension on LAPD Detective Stephen Bishop for his actions in March 2000.

Bishop's daughter and a friend had attempted to buy a ticket at a Valencia movie theater using a $100 bill, but employees questioned whether the cash was real, according to a court document. The assistant manager of the theater refunded the girl's money, returned the bill to her friend and advised her to take the bill - which proved genuine - to a bank, the record said.

Upon arriving home, Bishop's daughter told her father what happened. He went to the theater, identified himself as a detective from the North Hollywood station and insisted his daughter had been kidnapped and held against her will, according to the court record.

Two sheriff's deputies determined there had been no crime, but Bishop insisted on making a citizen's arrest of the assistant manager, according to the court record.

After an investigation by the city of Los Angeles, Bishop was disciplined for unnecessarily identifying himself as an LAPD detective, causing the unnecessary response of an outside law enforcement agency and effecting an unlawful private person's arrest, according to the court record.

On Feb. 27, 2002, the police chief imposed a recommended 65-day suspension, the court document said. Bishop filed a petition to overturn the decision, which was denied.

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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