LAPD May Reject Up to 30 MTA Officers

As many as 30 transit officers who are scheduled to join the Los Angeles Police Department as part of an interagency merger may not qualify for employment under LAPD standards because of previous drug use, domestic violence, sexual harassment and other problems, sources said this week.

The possible ineligibility of so many Metropolitan Transportation Authority police officers, some city officials say, has the potential to derail the massive merger, which is in its final stages after years of planning.

According to sources, as many as seven MTA officers may be disqualified because of drug-related issues, including admissions that they experimented with cocaine or other so-called hard drugs before they were hired by the transit agency.

The LAPD has a “zero tolerance” stance when it comes to the use of any hard drugs, even if they were taken only once. Experimental use of marijuana prior to employment does not automatically disqualify job applicants for the LAPD.

Department officials said other reasons for possible disqualification include questionable discipline histories, financial troubles and poor driving records.

Several sources said some MTA officers who are not due to be transferred to the LAPD have particularly troubling backgrounds. For instance, one officer, who was fired from another local police department, allegedly pointed a gun at that department’s police chief, sources said.

Another MTA officer, who once was with the LAPD, barricaded himself and his family in their home at gunpoint and authorities were called to the scene, sources said. Some officers currently under consideration for transfers had been turned down for employment by the LAPD years ago, sources said. An LAPD department official, however, said that the organization had “a virtual hiring freeze” at the time some of those officers applied.

For the past couple of months, LAPD officials have been conducting medical, personal and psychological background checks on the 185 MTA officers who are expected to transfer to the department. The preliminary findings show that as many as one-sixth of those officers may be “problematic,” as one high-ranking LAPD official said.

LAPD Deputy Chief David Gascon said the MTA personnel packets that “have been flagged” need to be investigated further. Police officials said the number of officers who ultimately may not be allowed to transfer into the LAPD could be significantly lower or higher when the process is completed.

“It’s premature to say how many we’re going to have who don’t make it,” Gascon said. “You can rest assured that we are going to be adhering to our practices and standards in our background checks.”

“It’s not unusual for us to flag packages for further review,” Gascon said. “It means that there is going to be further scrutiny and the system is working properly.”

So far, LAPD officials say, the background checks have found that most MTA officers qualify to join the department. At the City Council’s request, the Police Commission’s inspector general has been instructed to audit the background investigations to ensure that the evaluations are “no less stringent” than for any other police transfers to the LAPD.

About 75 officers already have been tentatively approved for transfers, department officials said.

“We’re finding that they are good, hard-working officers,” said LAPD Cmdr. Art Lopez, who is spearheading the department’s merger efforts.

Under a merger plan, the LAPD would absorb about 60% of the MTA’s police operations, while the remaining 40% would go to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The MTA would then contract with the two agencies to police buses and trains in the city and county.

LAPD officials said earlier this week that they hoped the merger with the MTA would be mostly completed by July 1. Currently, MTA officers are undergoing training on LAPD policies and getting fitted for uniforms.

The merger with the Sheriff’s Department is expected to occur later in the summer, pending the approval of the Board of Supervisors. The Sheriff’s Department has completed background checks on 45 officers, about a third of the MTA officers the department is set to absorb. So far, only one has failed to meet the sheriff’s standards, and in that case, medical reasons were cited.

Unlike the LAPD, the Sheriff’s Department does not automatically disqualify candidates who, prior to employment, admitted using cocaine once, provided that they were not yet 21 years old, officials said.

Because the LAPD’s merger with the MTA may hinge on the number of officers who qualify, city and department officials are debating whether the department should make exceptions for MTA officers, sources said.

“That’s the question that we need to look at,” said Los Angeles Police Commission President Raymond C. Fisher.

He said there may be MTA officers with good “track records” at the department who may run into problems because they “were honest and admitted trying cocaine once as a teenager.” Fisher said he wanted “to see the facts” before passing judgment on the matter.

Some city officials fear that making any exceptions so MTA officers could join the force may expose the city to unnecessary liability. The City Council is expected to consider whether to approve a contract with the MTA on police services within weeks.

“Why would we remotely consider changing our standards or training or procedures for these officers? It doesn’t make sense,” said Councilwoman Laura Chick, who has long said that MTA officers should meet the same requirements as LAPD officers.

“If there are a lot who don’t qualify, we would not have a full contingency of officers to cover the transit duties and if it makes a big difference, I would think that would be a problem,” said Chick, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee.

Chick has had informal briefings on the issue but said she was not aware of how many officers are causing the department concern.

MTA Police Chief Sharon Papa, who may also transfer to the LAPD, said she believes the number of officers disqualified is “not going to be a lot. . . . I’m confident in the quality of my staff.”

She said LAPD officials have not yet discussed with her their concerns about any officers.

“I know that 100% of my people are not perfect, but no department in the country is,” she said.

If there are problem officers, Papa said, the agencies should consider counseling or some other action to address the situation.

“Because this is a merger, they should treat it differently,” she said.

LAPD officials said MTA officers who don’t qualify to become sworn officers might still be allowed to join the department in civilian or administrative roles.

Times staff writer Tina Daunt contributed to this story.