Unit #9
Lance Oakland
C
= Community
 R = Resources
 A = Against
 S = Street
 H = Hoodlums
Developed in the early 1970’s by LAPD
Chief Daryl Gates to combat the large
increasing gang problem.
 LAPD
gave wide latitude to CRASH to
aggressively fight the growing gang
problems in the city.
 Gang
Crimes plummeted in Rampart and
city wide violence declined.
 All
18 divisions of the LAPD had a drop in
crime. Ramparts was a huge drop!!
 The “Success” of
CRASH came at a great
price
 Rampart
CRASH officers developed an
independent subculture that the “war on
gangs” mentality was where the “ends
justified the means”
 CRASH
officers resisted supervisors and their
control
 CRASH
officers ignored Departmental Policies
& Procedures and Rules & Regulations.
 LAPD
department managers ignored warning
signs and failed to provide leadership,
oversight, management and supervision to
control this very specialized unit.
Between 1997 & 1998, four separate
criminal incidents, all having ties to LAPD
officers as well as Rampart CRASH
officers, caused the LAPD to focus on and
investigate the Rampart Division and
Rampart CRASH.
1.
Road Rage Shootout between officers
2.
A Bank Robbery committed by a LA
police
3.
Excessive Force incident
4.
Theft of narcotics from an LAPD evidence
locker
 Road
Rage Shootout 03-18-97
• Off Duty LAPD officer Kevin Gaines who was African
American was shot and killed by an on duty white LAPD
officer Frank Lyga.
• The shooting was ruled totally justifiable.
• Gaines was found to be a “Blood” gang member
• Later speculated that Officer Rafael Perez may have
stolen the cocaine booked by Officer Lyga in retaliation
for the shooting of Gaines to get Lyga in trouble.
 Bank
of America Bank Robbery 11-06-97
• LAPD Officer David Mack was ultimately convicted of this
bank robbery which netted $772,000. He never revealed
who else assisted him in the robbery.
• It is suspected that Officer Rafael Perez was a possible
suspect.
• Perez, Mack and a friend went to Las Vegas after the
robbery and spent the weekend gambling and spending
thousands of dollars.
• LA “Bloods” gang member
 Rampart
Station House Beating 02-26-98
• Rampart CRASH Officer Brian Hewitt was found to have
beaten & choked a handcuffed a gang member until he
vomited blood, while inside the Rampart police station.
• He needed immediate hospital attention at which time
he revealed his being tortured by LAPD.
 Missing
Cocaine 03-27-98
• LAPD property/evidence room discovered that six
(6) pounds of cocaine was missing. $800k value
• Within one week, detectives focused their
investigation on CRASH officer Rafael Perez.
• Later learned that Perez was stealing and/or
recutting drugs and reselling them for profit.
 These
incidents led to the creation of the
Rampart CRASH Task Force – May 1998
 Rampart
CRASH Officer Rafael Perez
arrested for possession of cocaine with
intent to deliver.
 Jury deadlocked
 Officer Perez charged with other
incidents of drug “transfers”.
 Officer Perez cuts a plea deal and tells of
many LAPD Rampart illegal acts.
 Officer
Perez advised internal affairs
investigators of many LAPD wrongdoings
• Most notorious was the shooting of an unarmed
gang member Javier Ovando. Perez and his partner
planted a drop gun and charged him with
attempted murder of a police officer. He was
convicted to 23 years.
• Perez implicated at least 70 officers accusing them
of misconduct from drinking beer on the job to bad
totally unjustified shootings.





May 2001
58 officers were finally brought before the Administrative
Board
• 12 of them were suspended
• 7 of them resigned
• 5 of them were terminated
Over 100 criminal convictions were overturned
Millions of $$ settlements were offered by the city of Los
Angeles including $15 million to Javier Ovando – who was
shot and falsely accused by Officer Rafael Perez
Under Federal Mandate and Federal Consent Decree
 Convicted
Offenses included:
• Unprovoked shootings
• Unprovoked beatings
• Planting of evidence
• Framing of suspects
• Stealing & dealing narcotics
• Bank robbery
• Perjury
• Covering up evidence of these activities
 Officers
Perez, his partner Nino Durden
and David Mack are alleged to
responsible for the death of rapper The
Notorious B.I.G. – aka Biggie Smalls.
 FACT: All
officers were active members
of the LA “Bloods” street gang and
associated with “Death Row Records” &
owner “Suge” Knight.
 Were
the officers of the CRASH unit a
product of the police department
environment?
 Was this scandal a result of:
• Lack of Supervision?
• Poor Recruiting?
• Poor Hiring?
• Organizational Culture indifferent to citizens
needs?
• Combination of these things?
 Was
a tolerant attitude of supervisors and
command officers to blame?
 What could have been done to prevent
this from happening?
 Is this situation done in LAPD and is the
department in good standing today?
 If so, why?
 If not, why?

Answer all of the following questions:
• How has terrorism impacted the police mission in the U.S.? What
•
•
•
•

disagreements exist regarding the appropriate law enforcement
behavior which fights terrorism but maintains personal liberties?
What role does social stigma play in police ethics? Give specific
examples from your reading or your experiences where social stigma
played a role in either furthering police corruption or reducing it.
Are the ethical forces behind police corruption the same as those
involved in police abuses of force? Support your answer.
Discuss individual conscience and police assignments using specific
examples. How can training prepare would be police officers for the
ethical dilemmas they will face?
The paper will be a minimum of 5 double-spaced pages.
Get any late/past due papers/assignments in ASAP!!
This is our last class together - Good Luck!!
 Thank you all for being such a great class!
 Thank you for working so hard! I appreciate all your
efforts.
 Congratulations to those graduating soon and keep on
doing it – don’t stop!!
 I hope you enjoyed the class and the subject matter of
Police Ethics!!
 Keep in touch – always nice to know how you are doing
 Remember to keep you own Personal Ethical Compass
pointing North. Stay ethical. Don’t give up!!
 Please - Don’t throw ALL officers into the same pot!
