LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A sergeant, a lieutenant and two officers assigned to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Recruiting Employment Division have been assigned home with their police powers stripped pending an internal affairs investigation into alleged racist and sexist remarks, the Los Angeles Times reported.
According to sources with knowledge of the incident who spoke to The Times, assigning police department employees to their homes without police powers during an investigation is reserved for the most egregious violations.
One source, who spoke anonymously to the outlet because they were not authorized to speak about details of the investigation, described the alleged comments as shocking and crude.
Two other sources told The Times that the incident reportedly occurred while the officers were discussing female recruits, though both declined to elaborate on what the alleged offensive remarks were.
The allegations and investigation come at a time when LAPD is struggling to fill its ranks ahead of the Olympics and the World Cup.
Newly installed L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell has made it clear that the department faces staffing issues, saying that at the time of his appointment, there were 1,200 fewer officers than when he was last on the force 15 years ago, The Times reported.
Now, the investigation into the alleged offenses by the four supervising officers might be delving into their recent selections and rejections of officer candidates.
“Growing LAPD’s ranks is a top priority of this Administration, and for our city’s safety,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “So, this conduct is especially outrageous and unacceptable.”
The mayor added that she and Chief McDonnell are working together to “fix the recruiting and hiring process and make sure that officers stuck in the past don’t tarnish the badge for everyone else.”
