LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Over five hundred LAPD officers in specialized units including gang enforcement and narcotics will be requesting transfers or will retire rather than submitting to the draconian financial disclosures requirements that are about to be implemented by the LAPD by order of the Police Commission.
The LAPD is moving forward on financial disclosures despite five years of negotiations in which the Police Protective League argued that the requirements are overly intrusive and lacking in checks and balances, and despite clear signals that this move will result in qualified officers choosing to leave the units that are affected.
The staggered roll-out will mean a gradual but steady erosion of talent and experience from the units, as experienced officers will come up for reassignment and will request other assignments that do not come with the financial and personal risk of identity theft.
The disclosure requirements do not include stipulations about who in the LAPD will be handling financial records, or how their security will be maintained. Officers point to the considerable number of cases nationwide of identity theft that have been perpetrated by workers in a position of trust, as well as documented cases of theft and poor records management at Parker Center and in other City Departments.
Also of concern is the vulnerability of officers' records to Pitchess motions. Pitchess motions allow defendants in criminal cases to view the personnel records of law enforcement personnel involved in their cases. Although the inherent intent of Pitchess motions is to expose police misconduct, the threshold for reporting is exceptionally low: the possibility of police misconduct is enough evidence to force disclosure of police personnel records, meaning that virtually any defendant could force any arresting officer to share his personnel records, including financial disclosure forms. In essence, officers will be exposing every aspect of their life.
"We have seen courts repeatedly allow gang members and others to manipulate the system to target officers -- sometimes with the encouragement of misguided attorneys. We have little confidence that the courts will be able to safeguard the personal financial privacy of officers," says Tim Sands, President of the Police Protective League. "The financial disclosures rules that the LAPD is about to implement opens the Pandora's box -- once someone's financial information is available and public, there is no way to turn back and make it private again," added Sands.
"No other law enforcement agency in the country forces its officers to share this kind of information. Our officers do not have to put up with this politically-motivated voyeurism: any other law enforcement agency in the country would be glad to hire these officers and give them a raise," said Sands.
"Even worse, for all of its negative impact, this deeply offensive intrusion into the private lives of officers, their spouses and their children will do nothing to route out corruption. Looking at bank account records is a completely ineffective way at looking for cash payouts. The truth of the matter is this -- there are check and balances in place to prevent corruption," continued Sands.
"Perhaps the virtual elimination of specialty gang and drug units, which will occur upon implementation of the financial disclosure rules, will be the canary in the coal mine to awaken officials and community leaders to the inherent problems with the more onerous and dangerous consent decree requirements, such as financial disclosure regulations," concluded Sands.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com