Rampart Scandal

By: Cindy Medina

Cindy Medina
CJCU 403
John Strain
April 15, 2012

Rampart Scandal in the LAPD Department Growing up everyone has been told stories of cops and how they represent being hero’s. Cops are supposed to save peoples lives and stand up against crime and violence but the stores we have been told are not exactly one hundred percent correct. The LAPD was involved in one of the most talked about scandals known as the Rampart Scandal where many police officer where involved in the beating, racial discrimination, and racial profiling. Although many people had experienced the brutal actions of the LAPD officer, the Rampart Scandal opened the eyes of many people who were not …show more content…

The Rampart CRASH unit was disbanded in March of 2000, and April of that same year brought the formation of the Rampart Independent Review Panel that was comprised of citizens, including attorneys, educators and business executives. A report was issued in November of 2000 that detailed 72 findings and 86 recommendations. The scandal continued through 2001, with cops, including Perez himself pleading guilty to an array of misconduct and illegal activities (PBS 2005). The Rampart scandal was known to be specifically against minorities such as blacks and Hispanics. However, in December of 2002 a Korean man was wrongfully detained in Anaheim for the suspicion of killing an LAPD officer. He was detained for two days and later the Anaheim police department had to pay $50,000 for his horrifying experiences of being racially profiled and detained. The Los Angeles Police Department earned a terrible reputation because of the Rampart Scandal. Police officers were no longer respected nor trusted. In a rally for families of police murder victims the LAPD fired rubber bullets saying that the 2000 protesters provoked them. There were several pieces of evidence that clearly showed that the LAPD being brutal against the protesters without any reason of being provoked. The LAPD injured many of the protesters when they used the rubber billets and other weapons as well as the use of bill clubs. The LAPD did their best to downplay the Rampart Scandal but