L.A. cops complain about law enforcement

Due to rampant/Rampart abuse by Los Angeles police in the past, a federal plea bargain required that officers in gang and narcotics divisions sign disclosure agreements documenting their finances, starting in 2001 (to ensure that they weren’t skimming). It’s just now finally starting to be enforced, and the officers are threatening to quit or file lawsuits.
I find it oddly, darkly amusing that the people who spend their days busting people for narcotics — probably busting down doors and seizing possessions — have these concerns:

“And then who has access to the documents? We see the kind of record-keeping they do at police headquarters. I can show you photos of stacks of boxes in the hallways that are open to the public.” […]
“It’s a total invasion of privacy,” an unhappy 20-year veteran gang detective told me.

The OpEd author also thinks that enforcing it is wrong.

Even in the worst old days, financial graft has never been the LAPD’s problem. For that you’d want to look eastward to Chicago or New York.
Or as one upper-level officer said to me, “Historically, we may beat you up, but we don’t take your wallet.”

You can’t make this stuff up.

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