LAPD officers accused of making racist and sexist remarks in recruiting office; mayor calls it ‘outrageous’
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Four Los Angeles Police Department officers are under investigation for allegedly making racist and sexist remarks while working with new officer recruits — accusations that Mayor Karen Bass called “especially outrageous and unacceptable” on Friday.
A lieutenant, a sergeant and two officers assigned to the Recruiting Employment Division have been assigned to home pending the completion of an internal affairs probe, according to multiple law enforcement sources. Sending an employee home is reserved for the most serious of investigations.
The accusations come at a time when the LAPD has struggled to attract new officers, and news of the investigation provoked sharp words from the city’s mayor.
“Growing LAPD’s ranks is a top priority of this Administration, and for our city’s safety, so this conduct is especially outrageous and unacceptable,” Bass said in a prepared statement. “The Chief and I are on the same page about the urgent need to fix the recruiting and hiring process and make sure that officers stuck in the past don’t tarnish the badge for everyone else.”
Police Chief Jim McDonnell okayed the removal of the officers after learning of the specific allegations. Bass was also informed of the serious nature of the probe.
“I am deeply disappointed by reports that certain officers were recorded making racist and offensive comments regarding department applicants. Such behavior is in direct opposition to the core values of this department and the trust we strive to uphold with the communities we serve,” McDonnell said in a prepared statement.
The music mogul is charged with three federal crimes — racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and violating the Mann Act — and has pleaded not guilty to each of them.
McDonnell said the department took immediate action after learning of the accusations.
“The officers involved have been assigned to their homes, with no police powers, pending a full and thorough investigation. Let me be clear — there is absolutely no place in the LAPD for racism, discrimination, or any conduct that undermines our mission of fair and unbiased policing,” he said.
“We are committed to transparency and accountability, and we will ensure that this investigation is conducted with the utmost integrity. To the people of Los Angeles: I want to assure you that we remain dedicated to building a police force that reflects the diversity, values, and expectations of this great city,” he added.
The investigation comes only a couple of months into the chief’s tenure, and may prove to be his first test of accountability within the department. As L.A. County Sheriff, McDonnell garnered a reputation for having zero tolerance for misconduct.
One source described the alleged comments as shocking and crude: “It is far worse than what Nury Martinez and the council members said,” commented a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss details of the probe.
Martinez resigned from the City Council after a surreptitiously recorded conversation between her, then-Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera and then-City Councilmembers Kevin De León and Gil Cedillo was made public. The audio recording featured offensive comments about Black people, Indigenous Oaxacans and others.
Two sources claimed that the officers now under investigation had used used racist and sexist language while discussing female recruits and officers. The sources declined to describe the comments, but said the officers belonged to different races.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the department’s rank-and-file officers, released the following statement Friday: “Any roadblock to growing the ranks of the LAPD must be eradicated and that includes any alleged conduct that does not uphold the high standards we, as police officers, are held to. Accountability is a cornerstone of any healthy organization and we believe it is being applied to this particular incident.”
The scandal comes amid growing concern over the LAPD’s dwindling ranks and its slow pace of recruiting. McDonnell has acknowledged that at the time of his appointment, the department had 1,200 fewer officers than it did when he last served in the department 15 years ago.
“We have the ability to put 60 through each class, and we’re not seeing close to that,” he said, adding that he hoped the department would soon streamline the hiring process.
The investigation could raise questions about what role the four supervisors played in the selection and rejections of officer candidates in recent years.
The department’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 projects the loss of 150 cops due to recruiting shortfalls and attrition. That would leave a force of about 8,620 officers by June 30, 2026 — the lowest deployment in roughly 30 years, according to public records.
In announcing McDonnell’s selection last October, Mayor Karen Bass laid out several goals, including “working with him to grow and strengthen LAPD.”
Last month’s deadly Palisades fire showed the department can be stretched thin during a major disaster and the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games loom as massive challenges. Despite the department’s shrinking ranks, LAPD data show that many types of violent crime are down, especially homicides and shootings. However, McDonnell has said some of the lesser crimes may be going unreported.
A woman sues three hotel chains claiming she was a sex trafficking victim who was raped nearly 1,000 times in their establishments.
The findings of the investigation could have serious consequences for the department.
In 2022, a jury awarded Cmdr. Lillian Carranza $4 million in damages in her sexual harassment lawsuit against the city over a nude photograph that was doctored to look like her and shared around the department. The city has appealed that verdict.
In 2021, a Los Angeles police officer who shared a photo of George Floyd with the words “You take my breath away” in a Valentine-like format avoided punishment after an internal disciplinary panel of community members found him not guilty of administrative charges.
Then-Police Chief Michel Moore had directed the officer to the panel, known as a Board of Rights, in May 2021 with the recommendation that the officer be fired. The chief does not have the authority to dismiss officers.
Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this story.
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