Top LAFD official retires amid harassment investigation

A senior Los Angeles Fire Department official has retired amid a city investigation into allegations of misconduct against him.

Deputy chief Armando Hogan, 61, retired Jan. 17, said LAFD Capt. Erik Scott, a spokesman for the department. Hogan has been on administrative leave since Oct. 13 when the city investigated the allegations, Scott said.

“The department has been made aware of allegations of misconduct and an investigation has been ordered,” Scott said. “As this is an active investigation, the department will not be making any further comments.”

A message left on a phone number linked to Hogan went unanswered Monday.

Independent journalist Daniel Guss reported in October that Hogan was under investigation for alleged sexual harassment. Guss reported last week that Hogan had retired.

Hogan, a 40-year LAFD veteran, was named 2021 Firefighter of the Year by the Los Angeles City Firefighters Assn. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked as a battalion commander and deputy chief before being promoted to deputy chief in April 2022.

According to an organizational chart, the three deputy heads of the LAFD report to the department head of the LAFD, Kristin Crowley.

A former spokesman for the agency, Hogan spoke regularly to the media and made appearances at fires and other news events.

Hogan was a member of the Stentorians, a group of African American firefighters in the department.

Fire Inspector Gerald Durant, a member of the Stentorians, said Monday he had no information about the allegations against Hogan. “I feel bad about the whole thing,” Durant said.

Sources told the Times the allegations were made by a woman who worked with Hogan.

A 2021 Times investigation looked in detail at allegations of bullying and harassment of female firefighters in the department. A 2019 survey of female members found that members had had positive experiences in the recruit academy but reported widespread sexism once assigned to fire stations.

Crowley, the first woman to lead the city’s fire department in its 136-year history, pledged responsibility when she was selected for the job last year.

“The intent here and now is to ensure that all of our members, both women and men, come to work feeling safe and heard,” Crowley said. “When this type of behavior occurs, it will not be tolerated. Period.”

Ian Thompson, a spokesman for City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto confirmed Monday that the city has hired Roberta Yang’s law firm to investigate allegations of misconduct related to Hogan. The hiring was previously reported by Los Angeles magazine.