Dist. Atty. George Gascón has requested that law enforcement agencies across Los Angeles County provide his office with the names of deputies and officers who have histories of misconduct that might affect their credibility in court.
In a letter this week, Gascón requested the names and employee numbers of current and former deputies and officers “who have engaged in acts of moral turpitude,” including those with sustained findings of tampering with evidence, misappropriating property, dishonesty, family violence and other wrongdoing. He asked that the agencies provide the information to the Discovery Compliance Unit within 30 days.
“A prosecutor has the duty to learn of any favorable evidence known to the others acting on the government’s behalf in the case,” Gascón said in a copy of the letter reviewed by The Times. “When law enforcement fails to communicate impeachment information to the prosecutor, the prosecution remains accountable for the consequence. Such consequences can include sanctions and the reversal of convictions.”
Police accountability was a pillar of Gascon’s successful bid to unseat former Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey last year. The former San Francisco D.A. pilloried Lacey’s decision not to charge a number of Los Angeles police officers in the killings of unarmed suspects, and has promised to review charging decisions in at least four fatal officer-involved killings that Lacey declined to prosecute. Last week, Gascón asked the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to allow him to hire a special prosecutor to oversee potential charges in those cases.
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