The rough details, including secret recordings, appear in cases of suspected racism and sexism by several male and female officers working in the recruitment and employment department of the Los Angeles Police Department.
In mid-February, news of the scandal was broken after the Los Angeles Times learned of a written complaint summarizing the charges filed anonymously on January 5th.
At the time, the LAPD said four officers, including a deputy and a sergeant, had been assigned to a home where police authority was deprived during the investigation. That number was reportedly increased by two additional officers.
The LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles can be seen in this undated photo. (Melmercon/Los Angeles Times)
The Times subsequently reviewed copies of the complaints detailing around 90 recordings in the department’s recruitment department between March and October. He reportedly threw discriminatory comments about possible recruitment with colleagues based on race, gender and sexual orientation.
The crude remarks featured Latina officers as “wet back,” saying, “it attacked black people with their livers. I heard they had a weak liver.” The Latino officer reportedly said, “Black people enjoy watermelons while playing basketball.”
The Asian sergeant is said to have criticized the civilian female supervisors against his men for “looking like a man.”
Five of the six executives reportedly got involved in the scandal. Asian Denny John, Louis Lavender black is an officer identified solely as off MacKay. Shirley Burgos, Latina and OFC. Christian Flores, Latin, according to a report by The Times.
The complaint alleges that Lavender, who overseen the section, had heard and witnessed many conversations, but did nothing to stop them.
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“Man, we’re going to end up in the LA Times in the way you guys talk here,” he is said to have said. “You can beat the entire division.”
John, who reportedly runs an office every day and is characterized as leading a crude and prejudiced language in complaints, is accused of allowing officers to check the names of potential background investigators in the unit and to deny the officers when they stand up for employment.
The allegations and investigations come when LAPD struggles to fill its ranks ahead of the Olympics and the World Cup.
Newly installed LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell revealed that the department faces staffing issues. At the time of his appointment, there were 1,200 fewer officers than he was last seen 15 years ago, The Times reported.
Department officials say that investigating the issue is a top priority, but complaining officers, the Latinos themselves, and the department’s 10-year veteran are likely to face an investigation into whether recordings were illegal.
His lawyer, Greg Smith, told The Times that officers should expect privacy from these types of recordings while in public buildings, saying that they “rid laughing at people they made vows to serve.”
Smith added that his client, who has not been publicly identified, handed over the recording to an inspector at LAPD.
Mayor Karen Bass, who was described as complaint when filed in January, mentioned the statement’s allegations as “particularly outrageous and unacceptable.”
“Developing the ranks of the LAPD is a top priority for this administration and for the safety of our cities,” she said.
The mayor added that she and the McDonnell chief will work together to “correct the hiring and hiring process and ensure that officers stuck in the past do not hurt the badges for everyone else.”
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