On August 13, 2020 I was found NOT GUILTY of the principle charge before a civilian board. It was one of the happiest days of my life! My attorney and Retired Lt. Munoz worked in collaboration to gain a successful outcome for me. Retired Lt. Munoz went beyond the call of duty to prove my innocence. I am certain if it were not for Retired Lt Munoz’ knowledge of department policy and his tenacious pursuit of justice, I would have been forced to retire dishonorably in lieu of being terminated. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the support given to me by Blue Ribbon Mediation. I am looking forward to returning to work and now have an opportunity to retire honorably and on my own terms.

Any type of review doesn’t do justice for what Mario has done to help me. After reporting criminal misconduct, I had no idea what I would have to endure from the Department. As things progressively became worse for me at work, I was referred to Mario by a friend. I was an emotional wreck and stressed and in denial that the Department was retaliating against me for doing the right thing. After meeting with Mario, I realized what was occurring and he told me about what to expect. He wasn’t wrong. Every step he told me the Department would take (meetings, comment cards, anonymous complaint, negative ratings) he was spot on all the way up to the administrative transfer. [...]

In January 2015, I was removed from my duties pending a Department complaint of allegations of “Serious Misconduct.” Within a few months, I was relieved of duty without pay and my Peace Officers Rights were suspended. I had essentially lost my identity after a dedicated and meritorious service to the City for over 25 years. [...] The internal knowledge of the Department Processes, and the tenacious evaluation by the Blue Ribbon managing partners was instrumental in changing the course of the investigation. [...]

Because I was a civilian employee of the Police Department and did not have the backing of the Protective League and because of who was the driving force of the investigation no one was willing to assist me in defending myself. That was until I contacted Mario Munoz. At the time I only casually knew him as Lt. Munoz and he and I had worked on several actions together. I remember the call like it was yesterday. I had been notified of the investigation and the allegations and had made several calls with no results. I called Mario and he listened and assured me he would help. I asked Mario if it was suicide for his career. He informed me that doing the right thing took precedence over everything else. [...]

The Blue-Ribbon Retaliation and Intervention Center came to my attention in the dispute process. It was a GOD send. Lieutenant Mario Munoz introduced himself. However, initially I was reluctant to have him assist me because he had been a major part of the disciplinary management apparatus. I thought maybe he and the company were looking for some quick and easy cases to build a reputation and that the company would likely lean towards the department because of his management history. That was not the case. Lieutenant Munoz explained that he had become concerned in the way our agency had begun a practice of unfairly adjudicating disputes. He walked me through the process, identified “bumps in the road,” predicted the outcome, and how we would appeal each. [...]

On May 2021, my fiancé and I were run over by a drunk driver. I was detained by another police agency when I demanded the person be arrested. Due to the nature of the police contact, I was served with a complaint (1.28). I called a friend for help and shortly after, I was contacted by a member of the Blue Ribbon Intervention Center. I received non-judgmental advice during this difficult process. Their professionalism and kindness allowed me to navigate throughout this difficult process.

In March of 2019, while still on active duty, I was faced with an utterly and absolutely baseless Public complaint. Initially, the Internal Affairs investigation totally and completely exonerated me from any misconduct. All allegations were listed as UNFOUNDED based on the presence of unequivocal surveillance video. Although I was cleared of the misconduct, a credulous City Attorney filed four counts of criminal charges against me. The jury, in a record short deliberation time, eviscerated the prosecution’s allegations and returned a unanimous NOT GUILTY verdict on all counts. [...]

My name is A.H. and I work for a large Police Department in the Southern California region. I currently have approximately 17 years on the Job as a sworn peace officer. For 15 years of my career, I went to work with the highest respect, dedication, and love for my department one can have. Up until approximately 2 years ago, I naively believed my department could do no wrong and falsely believed my command staff always had the best interest in mind for our officers. Sadly, through an investigation that I was responsible for, I learned that some in my command staff use our Internal Affairs resources as a weapon against others within our department. [...]

My deepest gratitude to Blue Ribbon for encouraging me with unwavering support on my administrative hearing appeal. The court process was long and arduous, but in the end, we prevailed! I believe had it not been for the knowledge of Retired Lt Munoz and his team, my outcome could’ve been quite different. I wish you continued success with all your upcoming cases. Your clients are definitely in good hands.

My 21-year-old-son suffers from Cerebral Palsy and requires 24/7 care. I worked 6 and sometimes 7 days a week to support my family since my wife cannot work to take care of our son. We applied for benefits, but we were denied, and due to our language barrier, we did not know how to fight the process. We also did not know we had to get the conservatorship of our son before he turned 18, which complicated our lives and his quality of life. We did not have money to pay for attorneys. We felt discriminated against by the process even though we are legal residents. We turned to Blue Ribbon for help. They were able to help us get conservatorship and benefits for our son, whom we feel will be able to enjoy a better life.

I am a Latino business owner who was taken advantage of by a client who changed his mind during a very expensive upholstery job. I got a letter from his attorney threatening to sue me. I contacted Blue Ribbon who helped me mediate my problem. Blue Ribbon drafted an agreement, which was beneficial to both of us and avoided going to court. [...]