Glamorous former San Diego police officer makes shocking claims against cop husband
A former San Diego detective has accused the department of protecting her sergeant husband after she reported domestic violence.
Allyson Ford, who joined the San Diego Police Department as a volunteer cadet at age 16 and was named Officer of the Year in 2014, sued the police department alleging retaliation, wrongful discharge and discrimination.
She alleges the department systematically covered up complaints of violence made by her then-husband, Sergeant Mitchell Ford, and failed to take appropriate action.
“I believed in the San Diego Police Department with all my heart. I believed in the value, integrity and responsibility that the badge represented. But in April 2020, my faith was shattered.
“I’m speaking out today, not just for myself, but for everyone who has been let down by the system. The culture of retaliation and cover-up in the San Diego Police Department must end,” she said at a news conference.
In a lengthy lawsuit, the former officer claims her husband assaulted her and endangered their then 2-year-old autistic son while he was drunk at their home in Escondido, California on April 9, 2020.
Allyson explained that she was allegedly physically blocked, pushed against a wall and had her face pinned against a wall, resulting in a bruise under her left eye.
During the incident, Mitchell also allegedly threatened to shoot her and “repeatedly called her ‘bitch,’ ‘cunt,’ ‘slut,’ ‘skank,’ and ‘whore’ while in the presence of their son.”
Allyson Ford, who joined the San Diego Police Department as a volunteer cadet at age 16 and was named Officer of the Year in 2014, sued the police department alleging retaliation, wrongful discharge and discrimination.
According to court documents, ‘Sgt. Ford falsely accused Allyson of having an affair with another SDPD employee, also referred to as “Detective Doe.”
‘Sgt. Ford even threatened to “swat” Detective Doe, which is the criminal practice of making false calls to the police in an attempt to send a large number of armed police officers to a specific address.
“In other words, Sergeant. Ford threatened to abuse his police power to cause the cold-blooded execution of a fellow officer.
‘Sgt. Ford threatened to have the SDPD terminate the employment of Allyson and Detective Doe, bragging that he had “friends in high places in the department” and that Allyson was “stupid” if she tried to resist.
The terrified detective eventually called police to her home and responding SDPD lieutenants spoke with Escondido police.
She eventually reported domestic violence, drunk driving, intimidation, threats and blackmail against Mitchell, but to no avail.
Additionally, Allyson claims her husband was never arrested or forced to surrender his weapons, despite a court-granted restraining order against him.
After her report was filed, the star detective revealed that department leaders began retaliating by denying her leave requests and placing her under internal investigation multiple times.
She alleges the department systematically covered up complaints of violence made by her then-husband, Sergeant Mitchell Ford, and failed to take appropriate action
Allyson explained that she was allegedly physically blocked, pushed against a wall and had her face pressed against the wall, resulting in a bruise under her left eye.
During the incident, Mitchell also allegedly threatened to shoot her and “repeatedly called her ‘bitch,’ ‘cunt,’ ‘slut,’ ‘skank,’ and ‘whore’ while in the presence of their son.”
Attorney John Gomez explains: “Rather than support her, San Diego police ignored these findings, dismissed crucial evidence and allowed her husband to remain armed in the field.
“We believe the evidence in this case will prove that, instead of investigating her complaints, they dismissed her reports, and instead of protecting her and her young son, enabled her husband to avoid the consequences, to retain his firearms, violate restraining orders, and continue to threaten and harass her while simultaneously acting as an active-duty police officer.”
Beyond this, the lawsuit further alleges that department management provided Mitchell with confidential information about her complaints – including facts about her restraining order and custody proceedings to protect the suspect.
She submitted her resignation in January 2024.
“I tried to move on, and I tried to move forward. But you can’t do that if your department keeps investigating you.
“I really tried to stay and make it work, but the environment became so toxic that I had no choice but to resign,” she continued.
“For me, the San Diego Police Department was meant to be my career, my life for the rest of my working life. And they put an end to that.’
She explained that she spoke out to change the department’s “boys club” culture and never wanted it to get to that point.
She eventually reported domestic violence, drunk driving, intimidation, threats and blackmail against Mitchell, but to no avail. Additionally, Allyson claims her husband was never arrested or forced to surrender his weapons, despite a court-granted restraining order against him.
Beyond this, the lawsuit further alleges that the department’s management provided Mitchell with confidential information about her complaints – including facts about her restraining order and custody proceedings to protect the suspect.
After her report was filed, the star detective revealed that department leaders began retaliating by denying her leave requests and placing her under internal investigation multiple times.
‘This was by far the hardest decision I have ever had to make. At first I just wanted this to go away.
“I didn’t want my son to be able to Google this later and find out what’s going on.
‘This is not what anyone dreams of or wants, but it got so bad that I couldn’t help but think that I wouldn’t have wished this treatment on my worst enemy.
“And I hope they use this as an opportunity to make changes so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.” I hope it ends with me,” Allyson said during yesterday’s conference.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. A court date has yet to be set.
DailyMail.com has reached out to San Diego police for comment.