CHIEF SAYS CORRUPT OFFICER TAINTED 57 CASES INVOLVING 99 DEFENDANTS

LOS ANGELES (AP) - 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.

Corruption investigators have interviewed 52 of those defendants and all
should have their convictions voided, Parks told a press 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 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
this 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.

Prosecutors believe the tainted cases will number in the "hundreds," she said.

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, a Rampart station anti-gang officer, is cooperating in exchange for
a lighter sentence for stealing cocaine from a police evidence locker. His
arrest in that case spawned the probe, which has led to the resignation or
suspension of 20 officers. Parks has already asked the district attorney to
prosecute three officers.

Of the other 47 defendants in Perez-tainted cases, one is dead, seven were
expected to be contacted soon, nine refused to be interviewed, 16 have been
deported, two cannot be located, and 12 have felony warrants, Parks said.
Eight of those warrants are Perez-related.

"It is our desire to recall those warrants," Parks said.

Only three of the 99 are in custody, one on an unrelated charge. Parks said
the department wants the other two released.

The Police Department's internal probe has grown to number 46 detectives,
and the investigation has taken them to all of California's prisons and to
several countries in South America, Parks said.