Largest Police Corruption Scandal
in Los Angeles in over 60 Years
Caused by drug war prohibition
and dehumanizing of suspected drug users.
- Column: Rampart Scandal Colors Jury Deliberations
- by Patt Morrison, December 10, 1999
- Editorial: Scandal That Touches All
- December 3, 1999
- Ex-Officer Says He Shot Unarmed Man
-
September 16, 1999
- 2nd LAPD Shooting Targeted as Corruption Probe
Widens
- September 17, 1999
- Editorial: Deepening Stain in LAPD
- September 17, 1999
- Police Scandal Is Worst Since 1930s
- September 17, 1999
- 'Sooner or Later the Truth Will Come Out'
- September 17, 1999
- Opinion: Thoughts on Remorse
- September
17,
1999
- Survivor of 2nd Shooting Says He Was Framed
- September 18,
1999
- Rampart Probe May Put Gang Injunction at Risk
- Officer's Testimony
Fabricated — September 19,
1999
- Perspective on Legalizing Drugs
- There must be a new approach that is grounded not in ignorance or fear but
in common sense.— September 19,
1999
- Ex-Officer Calls Corruption a Chronic 'Cancer'
- McNamara: When Cops Become the Gangsters
- Sheriff's Office Gets Half of $50 Million
- LAPD Corruption Probe Grows to 7 Shootings, New Allegations
- Oct. 22, 1999, Sergeant gave instructions to plant guns on suspects. Stealing drugs and
using
prostitutes to sell them are suspected.
- Former Narcotics Agent Convicted in Drug Case
- Oct. 22,
1999
- District Attorney Seeks to Overturn 4 Cases Tainted by LAPD
- Probe Charge against a fifth defendant is to be dropped. D.A. says the cases relied on
information and evidence compromised by
two Rampart station officers
- Inmate Freed as Rampart Cases Unravel
- November 11,
1999, He is reunited with loved ones at LAX after judge voids
drug conviction based on evidence allegedly falsified by rogue
officers.
- L.A. Times Editorial: Faith in LAPD in the
Balance
- November 11, 1999
Editor's Viewpoint:
The cancer which is suddenly showing itself in the police
corruption scandal
enveloping our Rampart Division, is the entirely predictable result of our
reflexive and wrong drug prohibition policy. We cannot tolerate it any
longer. Why can't we release ourselves from this failed policy? "Rampart
Probe May Put Gang Injunction at Risk -- LAPD Officer's Testimony Called
Fabricated" is particularly revealing.
Most folks support the present crime and prosecution
model because we are
very frightened of violent crime and its spread. Our police have been
telling us constantly that the druggies are causing crime. They constantly
lobby us for more power, less rights, and more military-style assault
goodies to "help us deal with them". While we pour on the support, complete
with multi-million dollar armored tanks and SWAT teams in every burg, the largest prison
building
boom in history, many of the same police are busy ripping off drug dealers for the money, setting
up protection rackets to cover their turf and murdering anyone in their
territory who threatens to expose the game, under cover of the proud badge.
Law enforcement must stand up and say that using
police to curtail personal drug use is wrong and is never going to work. Law enforcement must
tell us that they cannot deal with the situation and that pursuing this failed strategy of
suppressing drug use by putting people in prison will continually degrade our police and justice
systems from handling our much more pressing problems. Prohibition hurts honest policing
everywhere.
Ethan Nadelman's prescription
in Sept 19, '99 gives us some reasonable alternatives to this hell.
Jim Rosenfield
Culver City CA
Comments to jnr@insightweb.com
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