At least eight members of an LAPD anti-gang unit are under internal investigation for failing to activate their body-worn cameras and pulling people over without documenting the traffic stops, according to four sources with knowledge of the case.
Officers from the 77th Street Division’s gang enforcement detail were caught making so-called “ghost stops” while being monitored by undercover LAPD investigators, according to the four sources, who requested anonymity in order to discuss a confidential personnel matter.
A department spokesperson confirmed Thursday that several employees had been placed on restricted duties, meaning they are temporarily prohibited from most public contact pending the outcome of the investigation. The LAPD is probing “potential policy and procedural violations” by officers in the 77th Street Division, the spokesperson said.
“The Department holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and integrity,” Officer Norma Eisenman said in an emailed statement. “These actions were taken to ensure a thorough review of the matter and to maintain public trust and confidence.”
Details about the underlying allegation remain murky, but the department sources familiar with the matter said the LAPD’s secretive Special Operations Division tailed officers who were under investigation. Department policy requires officers to record most public encounters; the officers were accused of turning off their body cameras during critical moments — suggesting they may have been trying to conceal their activities.
After several past scandals and reforms, LAPD officials have said gang officers are among the most vetted in the department. Anti-gang units, officials say, form the backbone of the department’s crime fighting efforts in neighborhoods plagued by gang violence.
The stops now under scrutiny occurred in parts of South L.A. with some of the city’s highest violent crime rates.
Critics of the gang units have questioned whether their “proactive” tactics are still needed given that the city has gotten safer by most measures in recent years.
Gang historian Alex Alonso said the gang unit’s hyper-aggressive style of policing has alienated generations of Black and brown Angelenos.
“Why is the level of suppression still where it’s at where violent crime is at an all-time low?” said Alonso, who has taught in the Cal State University system and regularly testifies in court as a gang expert.
Similar allegations involving controversial gang unit stops surfaced in late 2022 against officers in the San Fernando Valley.
The alleged misconduct came to light in late 2022 after a motorist said police had pulled him over and searched his vehicle without consent or probable cause. The motorist filed a complaint, and the ensuing internal investigation turned up other cases of gang officers improperly switching off their cameras or otherwise failing to document stops.
As the department’s inquiry continued, allegations surfaced that some officers may have stolen items from people they pulled over.
At the LAPD’s insistence, the FBI began investigating the unit for possible civil rights violations. The results of that inquiry have never been made public.
Several officers involved in the Valley stops were fired or resigned before the department could take action. Others, including a gang sergeant, face pending disciplinary hearings.
The alleged ringleader, Alan Carrillo, was charged with theft and “altering, planting or concealing evidence.” Court records show he was recently offered pretrial diversion by L.A. County prosecutors, which could spare him jail but require him to stop working in law enforcement. Carrillo has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
When the Mission gang scandal burst into public view, department officials publicly called it an isolated problem of rogue gang officers.
But a confidential internal audit later seemed to suggest body camera misuse was more widespread, finding similar violations among patrol officers in three other divisions, including 77th Street. The report, which was reviewed by The Times, blamed the issue on lax oversight and confusion among officers about when they were required to turn on their cameras.
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