A former LAPD officer says she was punished instead of protected after reporting domestic abuse by a fellow officer, leaving her jobless and fighting to regain her career. Tawny Ramirez filed a domestic violence restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, fellow LAPD officer Jorge Ruben Alvarado, in October 2023. Months later, she was fired, accused of committing domestic violence and time card fraud.
Ramirez said the department’s response confirmed her worst fear about coming forward. “How are other victims supposed to come forward? This is exactly why I didn’t want to come forward. I was framed for domestic violence and time fraud. Everything I worked hard for is gone,” she said.
After Ramirez filed for protection, Alvarado accused her of assault and provided the department with a photo of a bruised arm and text messages he claimed supported his story. But Ramirez’s attorney, Nicole Castronovo, said the department ignored context that showed something very different.
“When you look at the full text string, you can see he admitted he got the bruise from sleeping on his arm,” Castronovo said. “My client provided that to the department, and so did I.” The time card fraud allegation, Castronovo explained, came from the day Ramirez called in to care for her terminally ill brother, who has since died.
Alvarado told the department that Ramirez used the time to apply for a job with the Beverly Hills Police Department. Ramirez acknowledged she applied, but said she did so to get distance from him, not to deceive her employer. “I actually used family illness. He was already in hospice, and the policy doesn’t say I can’t leave the house to run errands,” she said.
Ramirez is appealing her termination, saying her case shows how easily victims can be punished for speaking up. “Don’t be afraid,” she said. “Someone will listen to you. You have to stand firm in your faith; God will never leave you.” The LAPD declined to comment on personnel matters.
But her case unfolded during a separate revelation: the department had not been reporting domestic violence cases involving its own officers, despite a state law requiring it. An LAPD statement addressed the issue, saying that when Senate Bill 2 took effect, the department consulted the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and was advised that first-time, non-aggravated domestic battery did not require reporting.
The department said that guidance shaped its early reporting practices. In 2024, LAPD adopted a new standard requiring all domestic battery allegations to be reported, regardless of severity, and said it continues working with POST to ensure transparency and compliance. Ramirez had an administrative hearing on October 30. She is expected to learn within 30 days whether she will be reinstated.