Lawsuit alleges Los Angeles police targeted Hispanic males

February 29, 2000
Web posted at: 5:47 p.m. EST (2247 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A group of Hispanics filed a class-action lawsuit against unnamed members of the Los Angeles Police Department accusing them of violating city policy by threatening young Hispanic males with deportation.

The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court against the city and police, alleges LAPD officers targeted young Hispanic men suspected of gang activity.

One plaintiff claims he was targeted by Rafael Perez, the former LAPD officer at the center of a police corruption scandal in the city. The unidentified plaintiff claims Perez tore up his green card, which led to his deportation after he allegedly witnessed Perez plant drugs on a suspect.

A long-standing city policy in Los Angeles forbids police officers from targeting suspects simply on immigration matters.

The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, follows a multimillion dollar lawsuit filed by two U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services agents -- one African-American, the other Hispanic -- who charged they were roughed up by Los Angeles police officers.

That suit filed by the INS agents accuses 10 unnamed officers from the LAPD's Rampart Division of using excessive force in illegally detaining the INS agents. Those accused officers are not members of the Rampart Division's anti-gang unit, which is the focus of the widening police corruption investigation.

The corruption scandal is the worst in the department's history, with 39 criminal convictions overturned after prosecutors became convinced that evidence collected was tainted. At least 12 Rampart officers have been fired or suspended.

Last week, Police Chief Bernard Parks, frustrated with the slow pace of an internal police investigation, enlisted the FBI's help to get to the bottom of the corruption scandal.

More than 70 current or former officers are suspected of misdeeds, including about two dozen under investigation suspected of serious crimes.

The investigations began when former officer Perez -- as part of a plea agreement to reduce his sentence for his conviction on drug charges -- implicated himself and others.

INS agents' lawsuit accuses LAPD of detention and beatings
February 28, 2000
LAPD chief enlists FBI's help to probe scandal
February 23, 2000
Outside probe of LAPD corruption scandal demanded
February 16, 2000
Testimony: Allegedly corrupt LAPD cops gave each other awards
February 10, 2000

The Los Angeles Police Department
Immigration and Naturalization Services
Federal Bureau of Investigation

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