At least eight members of an LAPD anti-gang unit are under internal investigation for failing to activate their body-worn cameras and pulling people over without documenting the traffic stops, according to four sources with knowledge of the case.<\/p>\n
Officers from the 77th Street Division\u2019s gang enforcement detail were caught making so-called \u201cghost stops\u201d while being monitored by undercover LAPD investigators, according to the four sources, who requested anonymity in order to discuss a confidential personnel matter.<\/p>\n
A department spokesperson confirmed Thursday that several employees had been placed on restricted duties, meaning they are temporarily prohibited from most public contact pending the outcome of the investigation. The LAPD is probing \u201cpotential policy and procedural violations\u201d by officers in the 77th Street Division, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Department holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and integrity,\u201d Officer Norma Eisenman said in an emailed statement. \u201cThese actions were taken to ensure a thorough review of the matter and to maintain public trust and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Details about the underlying allegation remain murky, but the department sources familiar with the matter said the LAPD\u2019s secretive Special Operations Division tailed officers who were under investigation. Department policy requires officers to record most public encounters; the officers were accused of turning off their body cameras during critical moments \u2014 suggesting they may have been trying to conceal their activities.<\/p>\n
After several past scandals and reforms, LAPD officials have said gang officers are among the most vetted in the department. Anti-gang units, officials say, form the backbone of the department\u2019s crime fighting efforts in neighborhoods plagued by gang violence.<\/p>\n
The stops now under scrutiny occurred in parts of South L.A. with some of the city\u2019s highest violent crime rates.<\/p>\n
Critics of the gang units have questioned whether their \u201cproactive\u201d tactics are still needed given that the city has gotten safer<\/a> by most measures in recent years.<\/p>\n Gang historian Alex Alonso said the gang unit\u2019s hyper-aggressive style of policing has alienated generations of Black and brown Angelenos. <\/p>\n \u201cWhy is the level of suppression still where it\u2019s at where violent crime is at an all-time low?\u201d said Alonso, who has taught in the Cal State University system and regularly testifies in court as a gang expert.<\/p>\n Similar allegations involving controversial gang unit stops surfaced in late 2022 against officers in the San Fernando Valley.<\/p>\n