Three additional police officers in Los Angeles face charges for misidentifying people as gang members, growing the total number of officers charged in the gang labeling scandal to six.
The scandal started back in January when a mother reported to the department that a letter from the LAPD mistakenly identified her son as a gang member, CNN reported. This one mistake led to an internal investigation into the officers.
The three newly charged officers are all accused of writing [an interview card] that a person admitted to being a gang member despite their body-cam footage recording them never asking the individuals about their gang affiliation or the individuals denying it.
According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s (DA) office, reported by CNN, newly charged officer Rene Braga is charged with “filing a false police report and preparing false documentary evidence.” The other officers, Raul Uribe and Julio Garcia were each charged with “one count of preparing false documentary evidence,” the DA’s office said.
“Our expectation is that any officer filing out a police reporter field interview card does so with the utmost accuracy. It is our expectation…that these officers are accorded their due process rights and that the legal process will be conducted in a fair manner to determine the truth,” the Los Angles Police Protective League Board said in a statement.
Arraignment is set for Feb. 5, and Barga is facing up to almost four years in jail. Uribe and Garcia face up to three years.
This case has triggered a response from the DA’s office, and they are reviewing hundreds of cases involving the accused officers.
Michael Moore, LAPD chief, has ensured that the department has taken steps to avoid this in the future.
“Reverence for the Law and Respect for People are the pillars of our core values. We will strive to live up to those principles by holding anyone accountable who violates them,” Moore said.
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