4th officer is charged in LAPD scandal

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A fourth officer was charged and additional charges were added Monday against three other officers already implicated in the investigation into corruption within the Los Angeles Police Department.

All four officers are charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. The suit describes instances in which the charged officers allegedly gave false testimony, made false arrests, falsified arrest reports and/or planted weapons on suspects "on or between March 1, 1996 and April 17, 1998."

Michael Buchanan is the fourth officer to be charged in the ongoing investigation into corruption within the LAPD. The three other officers named in the nine-count indictment are Sgts. Edward Ortiz and Brian Liddy and Officer Paul Harper.

The investigation has focused on the conduct of officers at the LAPD's Rampart Division and has resulted in 95 conviction dismissals. At least 70 police officers are under investigation.

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The Los Angeles Police Department
  • Office of the Chief of Police
Federal Bureau of Investigation

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