officers - The Black Vault

FD·350 (Rev. 5·8·8 1)
• •(Indicate page, name of
newspaper, city and state.)
DAILY NEWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~: TUES., ~R 26, 1991
(Mount Clipping in Space Below)
FBI agents __
cancel probe . of
25
a -• -- '••• •• • 0 • -- o _..,
officerS~:
Edition: FRONT SECTION, PAGE 1
Title:
FBI AGENTS CANCEL PROBE
OF 25 OFFICERS
Character:
01'
Classification:
Submitting Office.
CIVIL RIGHTS
80 _ 33 B
I.OS ANGELES
lnde..:. 'ID.RCHED INDEXED·---!
SERIALIZED fiLED.~........_,_, __,
By Jaxon Van Derbeken
Daily News Staff Writer ·
FBI agents suspended questioning
of 25 officers at the Los
Angeles Police Department's
Foothill Division on Monday
after the officers said they were
compelled to cooperate "under
. duress," police union officials
said.
· Cecil Marr, an attorney for the
Los Angeles Police Protective
. League, said he was present at
I five interviews that were terminated
by the FBI after LAPD officers
said they had been pressured
to cooperate. Another 20 planned
-------
interviews were not held after
Marr told investigators that the
officers would not voluntarily cooperate,
he said.
"There have been no substantive
questions asked (by the FBI)
in my presence," Marr said. "The
FBI is insisting on only voluntary
interviews. Unless-the police officer
gives up his rights, the FBI is
not interested in talking to him."
George Aliano, president of
the union, said some officers
agreed to be interviewed as part
of the civil rights investigation
but he provided no specific numbers
or details of what the officers
.said. _
.i. I•;
""\: ...
FBI officials, who sent dozeJ!S·
of agents into the field ~o que!~·
tion all 240 officers ass1gned:'t~'
the Foothill Division, refused:t.o,
discuss the investigation. · ·: ~ ·
· The union has advised officers"'
that before answering any ques.:'
tions they should tell the FBI that~
they are cooperating under thb·
. threat of being fired and in vio1a-~
tion of their constitutiorrar.
rights. . · . ·: ~:·
"We don't want to bema posJ.,.
tion of having our officers pro5e;·
cuted because of something they;
said in an interview (with tlie:
: .:
MAR 2 7 1991
FBI -
LOS ANGELES J
' FBI)," Marr said. . -
1
••Jfyou are a police officer, and
'if you are forced to give an 'interview,
you have the right not to
have that interview used against
you," he said.
Scores of FBI agents fanned
out Monday to interview more
than 200 officers from the Foothill
Division~ as part of an inves-
. ligation there. · · · · · · ·
The investigation - to deter- ·
mine whether there has been a
. pattern of civil rights abuse by
Foothill Division officers -
.grew out of the videotaped beat­
Jng of Rodney Glen King on
March 3. ·
The Los Angeles County grand
jury, which indicted four Foothill
Division officers in connection
:with the King case, began hearing
! evidence 'Monday against at least
17 others who were present at the
·;beating.
; 'Police Department officials
1.have protested the FBI's decisio;11
( .