body-worn cameras – LAPD temporarily disbanded a South L.A. anti-gang unit after investigations into allegations that officers turned off body cameras and failed to document stops.

A major Los Angeles Police Department anti-gang unit has been temporarily disbanded after accusations that its members turned off body-worn cameras during traffic stops, raising fresh concerns about whether camera misuse reflects isolated misconduct or a broader breakdown in accountability.

The department announced the move Tuesday, disbanding the South L.A.. gang enforcement detail based in the 77th Street Division.. The action came after the city’s civilian watchdog requested a review of behavior by all gang enforcement units across Los Angeles. and after unit members were referred for internal investigation in recent months.

According to officials. officers under scrutiny failed to activate their body-worn cameras and were also accused of pulling people over without documenting interactions.. Assistant Chief Scott Harrelson told the Police Commission that the entire unit was stood down. emphasizing that the department “take this very very seriously.”

Several commissioners said they were troubled that body-camera rules appear to have continued being violated even after the city invested heavily in the technology.. Commissioner Jeff Skobin pointed to the department’s annual spending on body-worn cameras. arguing their effectiveness depends on officers following policies on when they must record.

Commission President Rasha Gerges Shields said the department’s decision to uncover and investigate alleged misconduct was a step forward. but she worried that the issue could be deeper than the specific unit now under review.. She said she was concerned about a “culture problem” involving leadership that may allow the behavior to persist. and she urged officials to ensure the misconduct was not limited to a single division.

Gerges Shields said some specialized details may be doing “good work. ” but asked for additional information about why the gang units remain valuable to the department and what disciplinary approach officers facing allegations would face.. She also called for a stronger analysis of whether officers accused of improper searches are being handled appropriately. rather than treating the issue as a one-off problem.

Meanwhile. the department said about a dozen gang officers have been ordered to have no contact with the public while on duty. and that several others have been reassigned to different shifts as the LAPD determines whether suspensions are warranted.. Police sources who requested anonymity said those under investigation were newer members of the unit and tied the alleged conduct to a hyper-competitive culture that prioritizes seizing illegal guns.

The situation has echoes beyond the South L.A.. unit, because it resembles an earlier scandal involving so-called “ghost stops” by a gang unit in the San Fernando Valley.. In that case. the alleged misconduct came to light after a motorist said officers pulled him over and searched his vehicle without consent or probable cause.. A complaint led to an internal review that identified additional instances in which gang officers improperly switched off cameras or failed to document stops.

In the Valley matter, several officers were fired or resigned before the department could finalize action. Others, including a gang sergeant, still face pending disciplinary hearings, illustrating how camera-related allegations can take time to process even after they become public.

Department officials have discussed stepping up audits of officers’ camera use. but they acknowledged that most footage recorded by officers goes unwatched.. That admission places added weight on whether the LAPD can rely on routine oversight and whether policy enforcement is sufficient in real-world conditions.

When the Mission Division scandal in the Valley surfaced publicly. department officials described it as an isolated problem involving “rogue” gang officers.. Yet a confidential internal audit conducted by leadership at the 77th Street Division in September 2023 reportedly suggested body camera misuse may have been more widespread. finding similar violations among patrol officers in other divisions.

The earlier audit. which was reviewed as part of the reporting. reportedly blamed the problems on lax oversight and confusion among officers about when they were required to press record.. The department’s handling of that information now faces renewed scrutiny as the 77th Street gang unit becomes the focus of an expanded review.

The 77th Street unit also appeared recently in a story in the police union’s monthly magazine, where it was described as the “best” gang unit in the city. Department officials have defended the role of gang enforcement details, saying officers are carefully vetted and undergo extensive training.

At the same time, community concerns have persisted about heavy-handed tactics, particularly toward Black and Latino residents.. An online data dashboard shows stops by the division’s gang unit have dropped over the past two years. but the unit’s stops are reported to disproportionately involve Black residents.

LAPD data cited in the reporting indicate that while roughly a third of the population living in neighborhoods patrolled by the 77th Street Division is Black. 962 of the 1. 296 people stopped by the gang unit so far this year were Black.. The figures have fueled questions about how enforcement priorities and surveillance practices intersect with unequal outcomes.

Even though the disbandment is described as temporary. some observers said the move is an extraordinary step for a unit in one of the city’s busiest police divisions.. Still. former public corruption prosecutor Max Huntsman. who later served as inspector general for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. said the decision may only address part of the problem if concealment practices extend beyond a single unit.

Huntsman said that when cameras were first introduced. failing to turn them on could be framed as a training issue. but that repeated coordinated decisions not to record point to a corruption problem.. He warned that if similar conduct is widespread. disbanding one unit would not be enough to restore trust or ensure consistent accountability.

The LAPD’s decision now sets the stage for internal reviews and potential discipline that could reverberate through policing policies citywide.. The civilian watchdog’s request to examine all gang enforcement units suggests the department may face broader questions about oversight. officer behavior. and whether body cameras are functioning as a safeguard or merely an obligation that some officers may attempt to bypass.

LAPD anti-gang unit body-worn cameras Police Commission civilian oversight gang enforcement Los Angeles policing