Jail’s Perez Poster Stirs Debate

The writing is on the wall at Twin Towers jail.

There, next to the candy and soda machines, Sheriff’s Department officials have hung a giant poster emblazoned with excerpts from former Los Angeles Police Officer Rafael Perez’s apology during his sentencing for cocaine theft last week.

The poster, titled in bold printing: “I Succumbed to the Seductress of Power,” has sparked debate among the hundreds of mostly young deputies who work the jails. Some are insulted that the Sheriff’s Department brass would glorify the comments of a fallen officer; earlier this week the poster was torn down, but department officials put it back. Other deputies say they welcome the chance to talk openly about the temptations in law enforcement.

The idea for the poster came from Chief John E. Anderson, who oversees the correctional services division for the Sheriff’s Department.

“It worries me that there are people who took so much offense to this,” he said. “They should go home and look in the mirror and ask themselves: Am I succumbing to the seductress of power? Am I crossing the line? Am I becoming a monster?”

Perez used those words when he apologized in court last week. He led investigators to the Rampart crisis by detailing allegations of innocent people being shot, officers perjuring themselves and evidence being planted.

Anderson, along with Capt. Chuck Jackson, who oversees the inmate reception center, issued memos to deputies explaining why they believe that Perez’s words should be a loud warning call.

Smaller versions of the excerpts were handed out to other department officials who oversee the jails; many plan to post them this week.

Among the quotations from Perez: “I will ask that you use me as an example of who you will avoid becoming. Do not let the pressure of status, numbers and impressing supervisors dictate the type of officer you become. The moment you cross that first line, it will be impossible to step back.”

The poster ends, printed in boldface, with this: “Whoever chases monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster himself.”

Deputy Theresa Culberson shudders at the mere mention of Perez.

“I don’t think he was sincere at all,” said Culberson, who works in the hospital at Twin Towers and has been with the department for 11 years. “It’s a real cry for sympathy.”

Moreover, she believes that the poster is an unnecessary, insulting reminder of a bad cop who sent entirely the wrong message to an already skeptical public.

“It’s a slap in the face,” she said of the poster.

Senior Deputy David Petrocelli, who works on the mental health floor at Twin Towers and is a nine-year department veteran, said he had mixed emotions about the poster. On the one hand, he said he was upset that the brass felt there was a reason to post it; on the other, he said he believes that officials probably were trying to be helpful, encouraging debate and discussion.

“We would all like to believe that our supervisors believe our hearts are in the right places,” Petrocelli said.

In his memo to deputies, Jackson, the head of the inmate reception center, said Perez shows how easy it is to take the wrong path.

“Did someone show him that by inflicting pain on a suspect that a statement could be obtained? Did a supervisor know what was going on but chose to look the other way because, after all, it was only a crook or gang member? Were the temporary pleasures a suitable replacement for a career, life and family?” Jackson wrote. “His actions were not only accepted, but almost a requirement to become one of the ‘elite.’ Many of you, if not all of you, will someday face the same choices Rafael Perez encountered. If his words can prevent just one of you from making that same mistake, then I believe our e-mails, briefings, memos and personal contacts are not only justified, but an integral part of our management responsibility.”

Cmdr. Dave Kalish, spokesman for the LAPD, called the poster provocative but not something his department would consider.

“Whether people like it or dislike it, I think it’s healthy to have the discussion,” Kalish said, adding that the LAPD is circulating its self-analysis of the Rampart crisis to spur internal debate.