Los Angeles police chief seeks FBI help in corruption probe

February 23, 2000
Web posted at: 4:23 p.m. EST (2123 GMT)

From CNN Correspondent Charles Feldman

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard Parks has asked the FBI for help in the ongoing probe into corruption in his department.

Parks asked for federal assistance because he was frustrated with the slow pace of the probe being led by District Attorney Gil Garcetti, a law enforcement source told CNN.

The source said that on Tuesday night, Parks asked the FBI to assign full-time investigators to a team already in place at the Los Angeles Police Department.

Six full-time FBI investigators from the Los Angeles office will be assigned to six separate teams of investigators already in place at the LAPD, the source said.

MESSAGE BOARD LAPD probe

For weeks the police department has been pushing Garcetti to file criminal charges against at least three of some 24 current and former officers suspected of serious crimes. About 50 other officers are suspected of lesser misdeeds.

However, as late as last week, Garcetti told CNN he would not speed up his investigation but would file charges only when he thought he had winnable cases.

Parks

Parks, in a CNN interview last week, threatened to go to the Feds if Garcetti did not move quicker.

The corruption scandal is the worst in the department's history with almost 40 convictions overturned after prosecutors became convinced that evidence against them was tainted.

A news conference was planned for Wednesday afternoon at police headquarters.

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The Los Angeles Police Department
ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union
Tobacco Settlement Information for States

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