Senior LAFD official retires amid harassment investigation

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

Deputy Chief Armando Hogan, 61, retired Jan. 17, said LAFD Captain Erik Scott, a spokesman for the department. Hogan had been on administrative leave since Oct. 13 while the city investigated the charges, Scott said.

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

A message left at a phone number associated with Hogan was not returned Monday.

Freelance journalist Daniel Guss reported in October that Hogan was being investigated for alleged sexual harassment. Guss announced last week that Hogan had retired.

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

The three LAFD deputy chiefs report to LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley, according to a departmental organizational chart.

A former spokesperson for the agency, Hogan regularly spoke to the media and appeared 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 involving Hogan. “I feel bad about the whole thing,” Durant said.

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

A 2021 Times investigation detailed allegations of intimidation and harassment of female firefighters at the department. A 2019 survey of female members found that members had a positive experience at the recruit academy, but reported widespread sexism once deployed to fire stations.

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

“The intent here and now is to make sure all of our members, women and men, come to work and feel safe and feel heard,” Crowley said. “If this type of behavior occurs, it will not be tolerated. Period.”

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