CORRUPT OFFICER TAINTED 57 CASES, LAPD CHIEF SAYS

CRIME: As probe deepens,Parks says at least 52 defendants' convictions
should be overturned.

LOS ANGELES- A corrupt police officer tainted 57 prosecutions
involving 99 people,police Chief Bernard Parks said Wednesday.

"We currently in the department no longer have faith in these
prosecutions and have gone forward and requested the district attorney
to resolve these issues as soon as possible," Parks said.

Investigators have interviewed 52 of those defendants and all should
have their convictions voided, Parks said at a news conference, adding
that efforts were continuing on behalf of the remainder.

Parks said the 52 include "some" defendants whose cases have already
been sent to the district attorney. As of Tuesday, 22 convictions had
been overturned and District Attorney Gil Garcetti estimated that his
office would seek reversals of 24 to 36 more cases.

"The department feels the criminal cases involving these 52 defendants
have been severely tainted and cannot be salvaged," Parks said. "I
believe at his time it's in the best interest of the city to dispose
of these charges against the 52 defendants en masse vs. a case-by-case
or small-group process that can only prolong the obvious."

The District Attorney's Office hastily called a press conference
shortly after the chief's announcement but added little new
information.

"The investigation is ongoing, there are outstanding defendants, and
outstanding witnesses that still need to be interviewed," said
Victoria Pipkin, a spokeswoman for Garcetti.

The district attorney is expected to return to court next week to seek
additional dismissals, Pipkin said.

The chief's announcement appeared to describe the extent of former
officer Rafael Perez's cooperation with the corruption probe, which
Parks said is entering a new phase focusing on other officers who
worked with Perez.

"After we debriefed him for several months, Perez has basically
advised us specifically about information that he was involved in, and
he has identified 57 cases that he personally fabricated evidence or
(his) perjured testimony caused a conviction of someone who was in
custody," Parks said.

Perez is cooperating in exchange for a lighter sentence for stealing
cocaine from a police evidence locker. His arrest in that case spawned
the probe.