Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley recently
announced he is concluding his investigation of the Rampart Scandal
because the testimony of an officer involved in the scandal had not
implicated any additional officers. However, this claim was shown
to be false.
Cooley’s reluctance to investigate underscores the
continuing problem of police brutality in Los Angeles. Cooley must
continue to investigate and prosecute police misconduct in the Los
Angeles Police Department, because the consequences of ignoring
this problem are enormous.
Cooley’s decision to conclude his investigation followed a
series of interviews of former Rampart Division Officer Nino
Durden. Durden was infamous Officer Rafael Perez’s partner.
As a result of Perez’s sweeping testimony, seven officers
were convicted of wrongdoing and 100 cases reversed. Cooley claimed
that Durden’s testimony did not implicate any additional
officers in misconduct beyond those Perez had fingered. However,
confidential transcripts obtained by The Los Angeles Times show
that Durden accused eight other officers of serious misconduct.
One key reason why Cooley must push for further investigation is
that financial costs of police misconduct are huge. The Rampart
scandal alone cost $40 million dollars in the last 2 years, and
other police misconduct and brutality lawsuits have cost millions
more. All of the money came from the pockets of taxpayers like you
and me. During a time when schools, health care and transportation
are subjected to substantial cutbacks, being forced to spend money
on compensation for heinous police actions is both tragic and
outrageous. However, if Cooley does not show once and for all that
the District Attorney’s office takes misconduct seriously,
police officers will continue to commit acts that cross legal and
ethical lines.
An even bigger reason why this investigation must be continued
is to restore the faith of L.A. residents in their police force.
The LAPD used to be one of the country’s finest and most
professional police forces. However, scandals from Rodney King to
Rampart have tarnished that reputation. The actions of all officers
are questioned because of the misdeeds of a few. And suddenly, the
mostly upstanding and dedicated LAPD officers are severely
scrutinized and under suspicion. This leads to citizens deciding
not to report crimes and refusing to cooperate with officers.
Ultimately, all officers (and, by extension, entire communities)
suffer because of the actions of some.
With his power to prosecute, Cooley can restore faith in the
police by showing that police injustices will be treated seriously
and swiftly. This would help residents see that rogue officers are
being removed from the police force and that complaints filed
against the police will be followed up and treated seriously. If
residents saw the pool of bad officers being removed through
appropriate prosecution, their faith in the remaining police force
would certainly increase.
All people should care about police brutality and misconduct
because it has the potential to affect any one of us, and it
violates the rights guaranteed in the Constitution. There are laws
governing the treatment of suspects, and when these laws are
violated without prosecution, our Constitution becomes weaker, and
the freedoms we enjoy are eroded.
While many of us assume the majority of police mistreatment
victims are poor minorities or have a criminal record, the fact is
officers can arbitrarily target any suspect they happen to dislike.
Javier Francisco Ovando, the unarmed gang member who was shot,
paralyzed and framed by Perez, could certainly attest to this.
The new Los Angeles police chief, William J. Bratton, is showing
a greater willingness to openly deal with police brutality than did
any of his predecessors. For example, Bratton has called for
further investigation into the Rampart Scandal. Such openness is
absolutely necessary because unless police brutality is taken
seriously, Los Angeles might burn again. I lived in Los Angeles
County last time that happened, and I know I don’t want to
see the death and destruction of 1992 repeated. I hope District
Attorney Cooley feels the same way.