Cadet seeks review of alleged verbal attack by supervisor

cial would be highly unusual, so it’s not entirely clear how it would proceed.

Butler said Walton became upset when the cadet asked him to remove his belt before going through a metal detector on June 24. According to a Sheriff ’s Office memo, Walton “became very angry with (Butler) ... and said ‘it is N-words like you that looks like me that is always the problem’ ” while labeling security protocols “some ‘N-word shit’ ” several times as he yelled at the cadet.

Butler also previously told The Chronicle that Walton invoked his position while threatening the cadet by saying, “You must not know who I am. I’ll whoop your ass.”

Walton called Butler’s account inaccurate and said he had faced “consistent and constant harassment” from Butler and other sheriff ’s cadets. Walton alleged he was facing retaliation because of his efforts to seek more transparency and accountability from the Sheriff ’s Office, including a successful 2020 ballot measure he sponsored to create an oversight board for the agency. Walton has not specified what part of the account is inaccurate.

Carol Isen, the city’s human resources director, closed the case after Walton was admonished by a sheriff ’s official. But Butler appealed her decision to the city’s Civil Service Commission this week, arguing that a proper investigation was never conducted and that neither he nor other witnesses had been contacted by human resources staff.

“I’ve always treated people with respect,” Butler said. “For him to make the assertion that I was targeting him or I was in any way trying to do anything other than my job — I was like, it’s too much.”

Walton did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Chronicle on Thursday. He said Monday that he “may take legal action” related to the incident, before saying Tuesday that he didn’t plan to sue the city.

As of Thursday afternoon, the city’s human resources department was still reviewing the appeal filed by Butler.

After reviewing the appeal, city officials are expected to contact Butler within the next week or two, which may lead to the launch of a full investigation into his allegations against Walton.

The city’s harassment-free workplace policy defines harassment as “unwelcome visual, verbal, or physical conduct engaged in on account of a person’s actual or perceived membership in a protected category.”

Even if the investigation finds Walton violated the policy, no disciplinary action can be taken against the supervisor because he is an elected official. In theory, Walton’s fellow supervisors could try to admonish him over the incident. But that would be a symbolic measure, and the political will for it may not exist.

Most of Walton’s colleagues have not commented on the incident — and none have suggested taking any action. Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Myrna Melgar said he should apologize.

Butler’s appeal to the civil service commission includes a June 30 email he sent to a sheriff ’s sergeant recounting the incident with Walton.

“On numerous occasions Mr. Walton has tried to use his status at City Hall to bully other employees in our department and not comply with the rules we have been asked to enforce regarding belt removal for entry into the building,” Butler wrote. “Some I’ve seen with my own eyes and other times I was verbally told.”

The week before the incident, Butler said he had reached “a compromise” with Walton under which the supervisor could keep his belt on and be scanned with a wand instead as long as there was no crowd. But on June 24, Butler said he asked Walton to take his belt off because there was a crowd and doing a wand scan would require stopping the line.

Walton began “saying he was not going to remove his belt and I was not going to win this argument,” Butler wrote, adding that the supervisor was “asking me if I understand who he is.”

Butler wrote that after Walton poked at the glass between them and berated the cadet while using a racial slur, a sheriff ’s deputy came over and explained to Walton that “the history of the building is the reason we have these rules.” City Hall implemented stricter security measures after former Supervisor Dan White assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.

Walton “responded by saying he understands the history but that he did not give a f— about all of that and that we weren’t going to win this argument and repeated that he felt like this was some n— shit,” Butler wrote.