The LAPD made an unusual public announcement Thursday confirming the existence of an ongoing criminal investigation of several officers who work at the Department's Mission Area Police Station in the north San Fernando Valley, following weeks of rumors of a long-running, highly sensitive probe into alleged misconduct.
"At the direction of the Chief of Police, members of the Mission Area Gang Enforcement detail have been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an Internal Affairs Division complaint investigation," the Department said Thursday.
Investigations of officers are typically among the department's most closely held secrets, and when officials have confirmed the existence of such cases previously, public statements were limited to a simple acknowledgement that some sort of inquiry had begun or had been concluded.
Thursday's news release included a significant amount of detail about the nature of the case and the officers involved, and it followed a report in the Los Angeles Times that said the search warrants issued in the investigation had been placed under seal by an LA Superior Court Judge for unknown reasons.
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“I have been briefed on this incident and what I’ve been told is very disturbing," Mayor Karen Bass said in a prepared statement issued late Thursday.
"Instances like this can erode confidence and trust in our police department. Under my administration, transparency and accountability is required," the mayor's statement said.
According to the LAPD, Internal Affairs opened an investigation into members of the Mission Division's gang unit, known within the Department as, "GED," after a community member reported they were stopped by two uniformed officers, who then searched the person's car without consent or a warrant.
"A review of their reports and other material determined the officers had not properly documented the detention, or their other actions, in violation of Department policy," the LAPD said.
Detectives then, allegedly, found more instances of the officers failing to activate their body worn video cameras or fully reporting their activities, the department said.
It wasn't clear from the public statements what, exactly, the officers were suspected of doing when their cameras were not recording, or when searches or arrests were not fully documented.
The LAPD also said the FBI joined the investigation.
"The Department's expectations are that all traffic stops or detentions will be fully documented, and body-worn video devices will be used as required," Chief Michel Moore said in the department's news release.
"Such misconduct undermines the public's trust and tarnishes the badge of the vast majority of officers who conduct themselves with integrity and reverence for the law," he said.
