COP, EX-COP INDICTED OVER ARREST JURY CHARGES TWO WITH SETUP OF INNOCENT MAN.Byline: Beth Barrett and Greg Gittrich Staff Writers An LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. cop and a former officer were indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. Wednesday by a federal grand jury on civil rights charges that they falsely arrested a man and lied in court in an attempt to send him to prison. The indictments were not an outgrowth of the ongoing criminal investigation into corruption at the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Police Department's Rampart Division. The alleged abuses, however, are identical to crimes reportedly committed by police at Rampart and provide a glimpse of how prosecutors might handle any future indictments. ``Police corruption Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct sometimes involving political corruption, and generally designed to gain a financial or political benefit for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. undermines the foundation of our city,'' U.S. Attorney Alejandro N. Mayorkas said at a news conference attended by Chief Bernard C. Parks Bernard Parks (born December 7, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Parks attended Los Angeles City College, received his B.S. and District Attorney Gil Garcetti Gilbert "Gil" Garcetti (b. August 5, 1941) served as Los Angeles County's 39th District Attorney for two terms, from 1992 until November 7, 2000. Background Gil Garcetti received a bachelor's degree in Management from the University of Southern California and a Juris . ``Officers who use the shield of service as a sword to commit crimes jeopardize the safety of all of us.'' Officer Edward Ruiz and Jon Taylor, who quit the LAPD in 1997 while under investigation, were charged with conspiracy to violate a person's civil rights and to deprive a victim of his rights under the color of law The appearance of a legal right. The act of a state officer, regardless of whether or not the act is within the limits of his or her authority, is considered an act under color of law if the officer purports to be conducting himself or herself in the course of official . Ruiz also is charged with a second count of deprivation of rights under the color of law. Both officers were assigned to the 77th Division when the April 1995 incident took place. Meanwhile, Mayorkas denied that the District Attorney's Office is being excluded from a new task force being formed to probe the Rampart scandal. The Daily News reported Wednesday that the D.A.'s Office had not agreed to actively take part in the federally led effort with the LAPD. Standing before television cameras and beside Garcetti, Mayorkas said the article was ``unequivocally'' false. But minutes later, after the press conference, Mayorkas' spokesman Thom Mrozek issued a clarification, saying the article was correct in reporting that Garcetti's office has not been involved with the new task force to date, and it explained correctly how evidence will be reviewed for potential indictments. Mayorkas said federal prosecutors are busy reviewing material they have obtained since joining the corruption probe and future prosecutorial pros·e·cu·to·ri·al adj. Of, relating to, or concerned with prosecution: "a huge investigative and prosecutorial effort" Lucian K. Truscott IV. decisions will be made by his office, the FBI, the LAPD and Garcetti's office. Garcetti added: ``Our commitment is clear - if the evidence is there, we shall prosecute.'' The new task force includes FBI agents, LAPD detectives and federal prosecutors with no previous connection to the ongoing corruption probe. Earlier in the day, Parks confirmed that Garcetti's office had been invited to join the new task force but has yet to come aboard. ``No one's being excluded,'' Parks said. ``There's an open invitation if they choose to participate.'' Parks said he plans to have all evidence go through the new federal- LAPD task force until a determination is made whether to file criminal charges through the U.S. Attorney or District Attorney's Offices. County prosecutors, however, will not be deprived of any information. Parks and Garcetti have been involved in a feud feud, formalized private warfare, especially between family groups. The blood feud (see vendetta) is characteristic of those societies in which central government either has not arisen or has decayed. for the past two months over how investigation of the police corruption scandal should be done. The cops indicted Wednesday on non-Rampart related charges allegedly set up Victor Tyson after two other men they were pursuing could not be caught. The officers allegedly picked up a gun tossed aside by the two fleeing men and stopped Tyson as he was walking down the street. They accused him of carrying a concealed weapon concealed weapon n. a weapon, particularly a handgun, which is kept hidden on one's person, or under one's control (in a glove compartment or under a car seat). . Later, one of the cops testified that Tyson had been stopped on suspicion of burglary. The misdemeanor weapons charges against Tyson were dropped during the trial after the judge found inconsistencies in the officers' statements. The case was not referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office until 1998. Mayorkas would not comment in detail on why it took three years for his office to be informed or two years to bring charges. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Mayorkas, Garcetti's office provided ``pivotal evidence'' to federal prosecutors that will be used against Ruiz in court. - Staff writer Rick Orlov contributed to this article. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Police Chief Bernard Parks, left, and District Attorney Gil Garcetti, right, listen as U.S. Attorney Alejandro Mayorkas announces indictments against two police officers. David Sprague/Staff Photographer |
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