Los Angeles gang police quit over financial rules

[ejt1469]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_los_angeles_officer_finances

Rule mandated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

[stancel]

Wonder if the guys at the US Dept. of Justice also have to give the same financial disclosures?

 

[Jimmy Dean]

In a unit that is more likey to suffer corruption, I really do not see the issue.

(Before I say this next part, I want you to understand, that I had to fill out an expense report for work detailing my expenses on awork trip using my bank statement, and I blanked out every part of the paper excluding the relevant expenses and my name, including all other charges and account info)

While what you spend your money on is none of the governments business, if you are spending so much more than you make, including dividends received from invenstments which can be proven, then you have no reason to leave unless you are in fact taking money.

Given that, this kind of stuff has been used in the military for years. They are, after all, on the government dole. This is not the government requiring the financial information of every tom, dick and harry. (granted, they do require that every year on IRS forms...)

In all honesty, all that should/would be required is not so much your expenses, as showing deposits. These deposits being primarily payroll checks, they already know the amount, black everything else out. (you have two columns on a bank statement, expenses, and deposits...blank out the expenses side) and for any other deposits, i.e. dividends, do not show the amount so much as the originator.

If you are driving a 100k+ car to work, when you make 50k a year, and cannot show any other legitimate source of income (or simply proved that you saved the money before hand to pay for that kick ass ride) then there is probably something no-so-legal going on. As an agent of the government, the government, and THE PEOPLE, certainly have a right to know.

I can promise you, that where I work and what I do, if I show up to work tomorrow in a Ferrari, unless I can show that I have not been lieing to/cheating my employer, I will not be employed for very long, and believe it or not, this goes for most of us here, be you a plant worker, or an accountant (especially them) or a burger flipper at McD's.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

The problem is who is gonna have access to the information? Whats to keep MS13 from bribing somebody and getting access to an Officers financial info.

 

[Hitman]

The problem is who is gonna have access to the information?

You think they are quitting b/c they are worried about who will have access to the info? C'mon dude......

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

The numbers tell me yes. Since LAPD is Operating under a Federal Consent Decree there is no way that 375 of a total of about 800 Gang Dicks are on the take. There would be no way to hide it. When you dig a little deeper you will see that this policy change is being driven by a particular Councilman who has a long history of being outraged about the way LAPD Polices Gangs. The particular Councilman happens to be from a notoriously gang infested area of the city; Holenbeck.

 

[Hitman]

I think it might have more to do with the integrity of the Unit as well.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I don't think so. I think if filling out the kind of financial disclosure these guys are being asked to became a requisite for membership here a great deal of members would quit on principal. Riddle me this; if the cops are on the take do you think they are chucking the money in a bank and paying taxes on it? If a cops wife makes a great deal more money than he does is in the city of LA's business? If corruption is the concern why isn't everyone in the PD having to do the disclosure? Why aren't the Vice Cops and the Narcs doing it? And lastly these guys are just moving back to patrol most of them will still be working the same districts will they suddenly be less corrupt because they aren't gang cops?

 

[Hitman]

I've heard enough and seen enough to make a sound opinion on the matter. I'm obviously not blanketing everyone with the kind of corruption seen in the movie "Brooklyn's Finest" but I've also been educated enough to know that in a lot of Units like this, it does indeed closely represent what that Movie entails.

It takes a lot of integrity for a LEO who gets paid crap to risk his life everyday to not put a bill or two of the hundreds of thousands of dollars they come across everyday during raids and such, in his pocket for hard times. Of course most have that kind of integrity or so I’d like to think, however it’s not as if LAPD is known for its integrity and outstanding Police Force.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

It's not hard at all actually. Your either honest and have integrity or you don't. LAPD has 9000+ Officers. I would say they are no more or less corrupt than any other Police Force. Unfortunately after Rodney King any sort of corruption sells. for instance the Rampart Scandal the yahoo article referred to involved exactly 2 Corrupt Cops but the press would have you believe it was HUGE.

 

[Hitman]

As of May 2001, the Rampart investigation implicated over 70 officers of wrongdoing. Of those officers, only enough evidence was found to bring 58 before an internal administrative board. 24 were found to have committed wrongdoings, with 12 given suspensions of various lengths, 7 reassigned, and 5 terminated.

I've read quite a lot about that too. I think it's a VERY naive and a far stretch to say that only 2 bad cops were involved in the LAPD Rampart Scandal.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I rarely get cast as naive but if you dig a little deeper you will find that 2 count'em 2 cops went to prison. People get suspended, reassigned and fired for such a broad range of things I tend to only count convictions. Must be my naivety.

 

[Hitman]

Must be my naivety.

Must be

 

[Kraut]

"Hey, tell me all about your personal business so that I can look at your life under a microscope and if I think something looks wrong to ME I'll use all of that information you gave me in an attempt to crucify you, or at least create enough suspicion through supposition that your career will be over."

"Um...uh...F@#K YOU!"

 

[James Cannon]

Come on guys.

Didn't you see that documentary, Training Day?

 

[Hitman]

Are there corrupt cops? Unfortunately, Yes
Have there been corrupt cops in this department in the past? Yes
Are they corrupt cops currently working in this department? Most probably YES!

You can conjure up many excuses for why this is a bad idea but they are equally met with logical reasons for why it is a good idea.

 

[JR1572]

Come on guys.

Didn't you see that documentary, Training Day?

Between that and The Shield, I don't know which one was worst.

JR1572