CHIEF: FOUR OFFICERS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN HIRED

They Are Among Those Now Being Investigated

LOS ANGELES - Four of 12 police officers investigated in a corruption probe
should never have been hired because they had arrests or debts, Police
Chief Bernard C. Parks said Wednesday.

The four initially were disqualified but were later hired, in some cases
after civil service review, the chief said.

"They were misdemeanor arrests, alcohol 85 domestic violence, things like
that," or debts that showed an inability to handle their finances, Parks said.

"Those are the kinds of things that are red flags for us, as it relates to
how an officer will perform in the future."

Parks told reporters he did not know whether former officer Rafael Perez,
whose claims are at the core of the corruption allegations, was one of the
officers whose background checks turned up problems that should have kept
them off the force.

Former officer Brian Hewitt was one of those who raised "some concerns,"
Parks said. He would not specify what those concerns were. The department
fired Hewitt in 1998 for allegedly beating a handcuffed suspect inside the
Rampart station.

The investigation has focused on Rampart's anti-gang unit, which handles an
area Parks said has been considered "the most violent 10 square miles in
the city." Perez, seeking leniency when he is sentenced for stealing
cocaine from an evidence room, claims Rampart officers framed and
brutalized people and even shot unarmed suspects.

Lawsuits involving such claims could cost the city $125 million, according
to one official estimate.

Parks spoke to reporters after outlining the corruption investigation to
the City Council, which had ordered him to make a public presentation.

A report to be submitted to the civilian Police Commission by March 1 will
call for giving lie detector tests to all police officer candidates,
beefing up the internal affairs unit and establishing "sting" operations to
trap bad cops.

Parks also told the council he did not believe there was a cover-up by
Rampart supervisors. Rather, he said, "telltale signs" of poor work
performance were missed by an overworked command structure and that the
problem exists across the department.

"There's generally a lack of oversight by command supervision going all the
way through the department," Parks said.

Some council members said the scandal has shaken public confidence.

"It's cast a shadow on all police officers," Councilman Hal Bernson said.

At least 11 officers have been relieved of duty since the corruption
scandal broke last fall. Parks declined to provide a new count, but said a
reported figure of 20 officers being fired or suspended was "invented." A
report that 70 officers were under investigation also was faulty, he said.

The department has submitted three corruption cases to the Los Angeles
County district attorney for possible prosecution.

More than 30 convictions have been overturned because of the probe.

On Wednesday, a man who claimed he was beaten by Rampart officers pleaded
innocent to assault with a deadly weapon for an alleged knife attack on a
neighbor. His attorney claims Gabriel Aguirre, 23, fled 18 months ago after
receiving death threats from officers when he filed a complaint against
them. He surrendered Monday.

"He justifiably believed that his life was in danger if he stayed in Los
Angeles, so he left," attorney Samuel Paz said. "And now he's back. He
wants to clear his name."