Police Union Chief Urges Witness Confidentiality

LAPD officers who know of colleagues involved in the Rampart corruption scandal should be allowed to testify confidentially to the civilian inspector general without being disciplined by the department, the police union president said Monday.

“This is for officers subject to LAPD administrative charges, not criminal charges,” said Ted Hunt, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Hunt’s request is similar to the amnesty offer made last week by Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti, who said he will promise confidentiality to police officers who witnessed colleagues’ crimes or misconduct but failed to report it to their superiors.

Garcetti too said the promise of confidentiality will not be extended to officers who participated in crimes.

Garcetti said the offer was necessary to combat the LAPD’s prevalent “code of silence” and to move forward with the corruption case, which has been fueled largely by the admissions and allegations of former Officer Rafael Perez, an admitted drug thief and perjurer.

“We believe there should be a moratorium on the section of the LAPD manual regarding reporting misconduct, so officers who may have witnessed anything can come forward,” Hunt said. “We feel strongly that everything that should have been reported has already been reported. But we want to assure the public that every rock has been overturned and that everything that could be exposed, will be exposed.”