January 14, 2000
Web posted at: 10:54 p.m. EST (0354 GMT)

In this story: Garcetti faces March primary 'We need to have some closure' RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

LOS ANGELES -- Four more Los Angeles police officers in the Rampart division were relieved of duty this week as part of an ongoing corruption probe -- the biggest scandal to hit the department in more than half a century.

What began with the admission of one former officer that he helped frame an innocent man has now mushroomed into a scandal that so far has tainted at least 20 officers. Officers are said to have framed people for crimes they did not commit, lied in court to obtain convictions and in some cases shot innocent people.

	VIDEO
CNN's Charles Feldman looks at the police scandal in Los Angeles. (January 14) Windows Media 28K 80K

But so far, no officer has actually been slapped with criminal charges, and that fact is fueling speculation that politics may be playing an unwanted role.

While the evidence thus far assembled has been persuasive enough to overturn 11 criminal convictions -- and prosecutors say up to 40 more could be overturned -- no criminal charges have been filed against any of the suspected officers.

"It's troublesome for the officers who have been assigned to home," said Dennis Zine, vice president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "While they're still receiving their pay and benefits, there's this cloud over them."

Making matters worse is the feeling among some police investigators that Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti -- who is facing a primary election in March -- may be playing high stakes politics by waiting until close to election day to announce any criminal indictments, thereby gaining maximum political advantage.

That feeling stems from the fact that many police investigators feel confident that the district attorney already has more than enough evidence to indict some of the officers.

But at a news conference Friday, Garcetti rejected any such notion.

"We are proceeding in a regular organized pace. We are trying to protect the innocent as well as hold the guilty accountable. When we have sufficient evidence to move forward, we shall," said Garcetti.

The union representing the suspended officers is hoping for some conclusion sooner rather than later.

"We need to have some closure in this situation because of the psychological damage it's causing to those people in this state of uncertainty," said Zine.

Police sources say it is very likely that more officers will be relieved of duty in the weeks to come -- joining the cast of fellow officers left wandering in the twilight zone.

Rafael Perez, the former officer who broke the scandal open, was named in a lawsuit filed Wednesday by a woman who said he and his former partner beat her and stole her rent money and savings.

The lawsuit, which also names Perez's former partner, Nino Durden, and several department officials, seeks $10 million, said Cynthia Diaz's attorney, Stephen Yagman.

Perez, a former anti-gang officer, has pleaded guilty to stealing eight pounds of cocaine. As part of a deal expected to shave time off his prison sentence, he is giving detectives information about past cases where he said Rampart officers beat, framed and shot people.

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