Lawsuit accuses former head of UNLV police of bullying
A lawsuit filed this week accuses the former head of university police in Southern Nevada of a pattern of bullying.
The complaint filed Wednesday by university police Lt. Antonia Summerlin against the Nevada System of Higher Education alleges that Adam Garcia, the former head of University Police Services, engaged in “an ongoing pattern of bullying, intimidating, demeaning, and belittling conduct, which caused Summerlin constant stress, anxiety, and other emotional distress.”
Garcia also did not provide Summerlin with a stipend that she was supposed to receive, the complaint said. She has still yet to be paid the stipend. Summerlin’s attorney, William Schuller, said he did not know the exact amount owed.
The higher education system said that it does not comment on pending litigation. Garcia did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Summerlin was hired as a patrol officer at the College of Southern Nevada in 2016, and Garcia assumed his role in 2019, according to the complaint.
History of hostility
The complaint accuses the university system of negligent hiring. Garcia was formerly the head of police at the University of Nevada, Reno. In 2008, a report by a consulting firm said that UNR’s police department was “nearly crippled” by internal dysfunction and a “bunker mentality” among the ranks.
The firm was hired by the UNR administration after a letter of no-confidence seeking the removal of Garcia was signed earlier by 10 of the department’s 16 officers and all four sergeants, the Las Vegas Review-Journal previously reported.
At the time, Garcia said the divided nature of his department existed before he became chief six years prior.
Bullying allegations
The lawsuit alleges several instances of bullying between June 2020 to June 2024, including Garcia telling Summerlin that she was “unqualified” to make the same amount of money as her peers. He also said that he did not know why she applied for the lieutenant position, the lawsuit said.
In one instance, Garcia threatened Summerlin, saying that he “created” her and that “it would be wise to remember that as he had the power to take everything away from her,” the complaint said. In another instance, he called her stupid, it said.
“It’s had lasting effects; she’s had to see a therapist for years now. There’s always going to be lasting effects, especially when you’re still working for the same employer,” Schuller told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
After she asked him a question related to funerals the morning of Dec. 6, prior to the fatal shooting at UNLV, Garcia told Summerlin: “Guess you spoke that into existence,” the complaint said.
Garcia, who retired in July, is an adjunct professor of political science at University of Nevada, Reno.
Summerlin initially complained about the bullying to UNLV human resources in June 2023 but was informed in October 2024 that the investigation was closed because UNLV no longer had jurisdiction over him.
“Because it wasn’t based on sexual harassment or gender discrimination, because it was just bullying, appropriate action was not taken,” Schuller said.
Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.
