FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 29, 2008
Contact: Jude Schneider (310) 854-8251
Eric Rose (805) 624-0572

Los Angeles, January 23, 2008 – Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, LA County’s top law enforcement official, today sent a letter to Monitor Michael Cherkasky, expressing his concern that the current Financial Disclosures proposal will not be effective at preventing corruption.

In his letter, the sheriff lays out the successful practices that his department put into place following an incident more than 15 years ago that resulted in the conviction of officers for skimming drug enforcement cash. He also observes that the “corrupt police officer will likely spend their ill-gotten money on material things such as trips, cars, gambling, motorcycles, etc that would not be readily detected in financial disclosure documents.”

“We want to do what is best for the residents of Los Angeles and best for law enforcement and public safety. With the County’s top law enforcement official sharing our concerns that we are not going down the right path, we urge the city leaders to meet with us to come up with a proposal that prevents corruption, does not violate state law, and complies with the Consent Decree,” says Tim Sands, President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Sheriff Baca’s letter follows a letter of concern to the Monitor from District Attorney Steve Cooley. Both letters are available at www.LAPD.com.

About the LAPPL

Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com