LOS ANGELES, CA — A scandal has been discovered inside the LAPD, in which nearly half of the squad cars in one division had their recording equipment tampered with, making accountability more difficult for the dozens of officers involved. The troubling discovery was exacerbated by police supervisors who made little effort to keep the oversight commission informed.
An audit of the Southeast fleet showed that out of about 160 vehicles, 72 were discovered to have had antennas removed, the LA Times reported. The antennas are part of a system that allows cruiser footage to be accompanied by detailed audio, even when the officer is far away from his vehicle. The audio is collected through microphones worn on officers’ clothing, which is sent back to the cruisers via a transmitters attached to officers’ belts. Continue reading “Recording equipment went missing in half of LAPD cars examined”