Current Events > LAPD officer filmed himself putting cocaine in suspect's wallet

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http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/11/09/lapd-bodycam-video-appears-contradict-officer-testimony/

LAPD body-camera video played in court Thursday directly contradicts an officers sworn testimony in the case of a man arrested after a hit-and-run accident, a CBS2 News investigation has learned.

And a defense attorney even claims the video proves an officer planted drugs on the man.

LAPD officer Samuel Lee left a Van Nuys courtroom Thursday after a defense attorney showed Los Angeles Police Department bodycam video that he says caught the officer in a lie. The officer had no comment.

He looked dumbstruck to me, attorney Steve Levine said. Period. He had really no answer.

CBS2 News Investigative Reporter David Goldstein obtained 12 videos from bodycams worn by officers on the scene of an accident in April, and the LAPD confirmed it has opened an internal investigation into the use of bodycams by officers in the field.

This is the first time media has seen video from the cameras in a real police investigation. LAPD has refused to release any of them since the video program began two years ago.

Ronald Shields, 52, was arrested and has been charged with felony hit-and-run and possession of cocaine. The officers were called to testify in a pretrial hearing as Shields attorney challenges evidence to be used at trial.

Lee is seen searching the suspect. He testified in court, as in the police report, that the cocaine was found in Shields left front pocket.

But the videos shows a different story.

In video from another angle, LAPD Officer Gaxiola picks up Shields wallet from the street and shows it to Lee, who points to the suspect as if to say its his.

He then puts it back down, steps to the street, bends over and picks up a small bag with white powder. It eventually tested positive for drugs.

Gaxiola goes back onto the sidewalk, picks up the wallet, motions to Lee and appears to put the bag into the wallet.

Now if youre wondering why anyone would allegedly do this while being recorded, this could be the reason.

You hear the audio and see the officers hand, which is when he activates the recording on the camera.

But what he may not have known is that the previous 30 seconds are automatically saved without audio.

And if you rewind those 30 seconds, thats where this all takes place.

Gaxiola hasnt testified and had nothing to say Thursday.

On the video, after he collects the wallet, he brags about it to the other officers.

He has a little bag of narco in here, he says on the video. He says it three times.

Lee says the bag of drugs fell out of Shields pocket.

Levine has another theory and believes it proves Gaxiola planted the drugs.

Theres a little white square here in his hand, Levine said about one point in the video. I believe the video shows the drugs were in his right hand and transfers to his left hand.

The hearing will continue in December.

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@The_Admiral

Now imagine what would have happened if the officer who planted the drugs had total access to the bodycam video while writing up his report. "I found drugs on his person" would have been changed to "During the encounter something in a white bag fell out of his wallet. I put it back in not realizing what it was. It later turned out to be cocaine."
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Do police officers have unfettered access to evidence rooms or where do they get drugs to plant on people from?
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Anteaterking posted...

Do police officers have unfettered access to evidence rooms or where do they get drugs to plant on people from?

Coke is p easy to come by, especially in Socal
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Death penalty. This is horrifying and evil.
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Always suspicious of possession charges. Remember that only the dumb cops get caught with planting evidence most of the time.
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LAPD has been notoriously corrupt for a century.
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This happened in Baltimore last year. Guy didn't know the 30 seconds before you activate are also recorded, so it catches him planting drugs on the property and then subsequently "finding" them.

These guys need to be fired. Not worthy of the badge.
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leverageblargh posted...

Is there financial/career ladder incentive for cops to make arrests?

In bigger departments, arrests are extremely important in determining future prospects. City councils use arrest stats to show the police are doing their job, and the pressure to make arrests rolls down from mayor, to chief, etc, etc, to the cops on the street.

I'm not excusing the behavior, just answering the question.
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What a jerk. It's a shame to see that somebody would risk his career to do this.
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Patchwork posted...

leverageblargh posted...

Is there financial/career ladder incentive for cops to make arrests?

In bigger departments, arrests are extremely important in determining future prospects. City councils use arrest stats to show the police are doing their job, and the pressure to make arrests rolls down from mayor, to chief, etc, etc, to the cops on the street.

I'm not excusing the behavior, just answering the question.

That is a consequence of a funding model where governmental organizations can never envision any possibility of ever accepting less pay, IE to lay off a few police officers as crime decreases. A never-ending blank check incentivizes wasteful and abominable spending practices. This is just a symptom of that.
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Police being corrupt in a state like california? Nothing new. Corrupt police officer should mean instantly thrown into general population prison. Let the prisoners take care of that ass.
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All charges that officer was involved with have to be overturned, there is no way to tell which (if any) are legit and which are from him planting evidence
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@darkjedilink

what's your opinion on this?
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I don't get it. what's the point of doing shit like this?

do they have quotas of how many criminals they got to catch or something?

FaytlessHearts posted...

Police being corrupt in a state like california? Nothing new. Corrupt police officer should mean instantly thrown into general population prison. Let the prisoners take care of that ass.

THIS!!!!
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This is why nobody should ever be arrested for drugs, period

I smell a paid vacation in that cop's near future
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And this is why those body cams should always be on.
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Darklit_Minuet posted...

This is why nobody should ever be arrested for drugs, period

Bad drugs can cause people to kill others.
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