MAIN OFFICER IN L.A. SCANDAL SENTENCED

LOS ANGELES - With tears in his eyes, the disgraced police officer who set
off the worst police corruption scandal in Los Angeles history apologized
for unforgivable acts and was sentenced Friday to five years in prison for
cocaine theft.

Rafael Perez, who has admitted framing innocent people, doctoring crime
scenes and lying in court, offered a message to rookie cops: "Whoever
chases monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a
monster himself."

"The atrocities that were committed by me and those who stand accused are
unforgivable acts," the former Los Angeles Police Department officer said.
He chose his career with idealism, but it deteriorated into corruption
after he was assigned to the Rampart station's gang fighting unit, he said.

"I cheated on my wife. I cheated on my employer. I cheated on all ... the
people of Los Angeles," he said.

"It didn't occur to me that I was destroying lives."

Perez, 32, was sentenced under a plea agreement that saved him from a
potential 12-years prison term. With credit for time served, prosecutors
said he could be released in mid-2001.

However, Perez can be charged in future cases if evidence turns up that is
not dependent on Perez's own admissions. He will also be a witness in cases
against former colleagues for years to come.

The charges against Perez are the only ones filed so far in the
investigation.(P) After the hearing, District Attorney Gil Garcetti said:
"You can see why our people found him such a credible witness. We had to
have him to make our case. We could not put this together without him."

The union representing other officers believe Perez got off too easy.

"We will not tolerate a crooked cop," the Police Protective League said.
"We believe that Mr. Perez should have received the maximum amount of time
in prison for his gross violations of the law ... and the betrayal of the
community-police trust."

Since September, Perez has been telling investigators details of police
abuse, including the story of Javier Ovando, who was shot in the back,
paralyzed and sent to prison on perjured testimony.

Ovando has been released and is suing the city.

Thirty-nine others whose convictions were overturned because of tainted
evidence are filing suit or expected to file. Authorities have estimated
the financial toll on the city could exceed $125 million.

Perez, wearing a blue prison jumpsuit with his hands cuffed to his waist,
stood before Superior Court Judge Robert Perry and read a prepared
statement he said he had scribbled in his jail cell overnight. He spoke
softly and broke down at the end when he praised the loyalty of his wife,
Denise, who has stood by him. Seated in the courtroom front row, she also
cried.

As a young boy in Philadelphia, Perez said he dreamed of being a police
officer and "for many years, I proudly wore a badge of honor and integrity
and enforced the law in the standards befitting a Los Angeles police officer."

But after he joined the anti-gang unit, he said his values changed.

"The lines between right and wrong became fuzzy and indistinct. The us
against them ethos of the overzealous cop began to consume me and the ends
seemed to justify the means," he said.

Perez said he can offer no justification for his actions and "I can only
say that I succumbed to the seductiveness of power."

He offered an apology to the courts and juries "that were my unwitting
accomplices on those occasions that I wanted to secure convictions."

And he apologized for sullying the image of the LAPD.

"To those people and organizations that I have hurt in such a profound way
and to the public at large, I now tell you with every inch of my heart and
soul that I am truly, truly sorry. And I am also sorry for eroding the
public's trust of their police department."

A major portion of his speech was directed to young policemen telling them,
"the moment you cross that first line, it will become impossible to come
back."

He asked that they use him "as an example of who you will avoid becoming."

Perez's manner was humble and he spoke of his newfound faith in God. But
reaction from outside court was not sympathetic.

"It's nice for him to admonish officers and new recruits, but I think the
way you make that meaningful is to have zero tolerance for the trampling of
human rights. And that's not easy," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev
Yaroslavsky, who has called the far-ranging scandal an "assault on democracy."

In all, 20 officers have been relieved of duty and 40 tainted convictions
have been overturned since Perez began talking. Several hundred more cases
are under review. The FBI and U.S. attorney's office have recently joined
the police department investigation.

Dan Murphy, head of the district attorney's task force on police
corruption, said it may take years to unravel the scandal which could
result in hundreds of cases being overturned.