officers - The Black Vault

FBI agents will join
in LAPD .social event
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By Jaxon Van Derbeken and'other law enforcement offi·
Daily News Staff Writer .
cers to drop by the hospitality
room they are sponsoring at the
Despite a continuing i~vestiga· Sahara' Hotel in Las Vegas.
tion over the Rodney King be~t· A member of the Los Angeles
ing, FBI agents will ,Participate. m Police Commission questioned
an athletic and soctal event wtth the appearance of the FBI and
LAPD and other law enforce~ LAPD officers socializing togeth·
· ment officers this weekend. er while the investigation is still
The event is the LAPD's ·an- open.
nual desert footrace ~om Baker But FBI officials said there's
to Las Vegas. Officers in the de· nothing improper about socializ·
partment's Foothill Division - ing with officers they have ques·
where the King investigation is -. -----­
focused- have invited the FBI. See FBI.J Back Pg.
Propriety of FBI, ·
_Q~LY NEWS I SATURDAY, J\PPJL 20, 1001 1
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D socializing questioned~.
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FBI/ From Page 1 .post-mce gathering "a novel ap- li officials said. room- paid for out of private: investigation probably will not
proach to law enforcement." , Police Chief Daryl F. Gates funds from participating officers show up." ·
tioned as part of their civil rights "What other agency under in.. · I participate on a team repre· - wi~ offer fruit, rolls and )ui~e. Lawler said that off-duty socia~
investigation at the LAPD. vestigation by the FBlcan invit nting the LAPD's Drug Abuse ~e ~td he extended a spectal m- lizing amounts to a gesture of
"Heavens no, there's no con- them to a party, ~d have theJl! istance Education Program, · vttatton to runners from the FBI, .good· will between the two agen:
tlict," said Lawrence Lawler, tbe attend? I just think it's a nove nd later will join Los Angeles to help maintain their working cies · agent in charge of the FBI's Los I approach," Rips ton said. "I' . County Shenff Sherman Block in relationship in solving bank rob. "Th F h . 11 0
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Angeles office. "We have a pro- going to advise all my clients presiding over the awards cere· beries and other crimes in the . e oot 1 • tytsron 15 10 ,vtt~
· relationship, and a so- under investigation by t4e FBI to mony at the Sahara Hotel's Con· .nortneast Valley. ·· mg us to a ~ospttahty room.l h~,
relationship." have a party and invite them." vention Hall. · "'I.'m specifically inviting was ~ery mce of them to do so, ..
But Melanie Lomax, vice- Ripston said the. situation Known as the Baker to Las Ve· 'them" McBride said "We still he satd. ·
chairwoman of the Police Com· "~ves the appeamnce of a lack of gas Challenge Cup Relay, the have' a law enforcem.ent job to~ '.'They have a ~os~itality room,
mission, questioned the timing of impartiality, even though you competition started in 1977 as a do we want to make sure that we 4ave a hospttahty room...!.
the event and said it could send couldn't point to anything specif.. Los Angeles Police Department Ia~ enforcement still gets done." the captain invited me and ~he
the wrong message. ic that makes it wrong." run ~hrougli Death Valley Na· McBride said the FBI's investi." agents to come over there,,~ht~h~
"I don't want to read anything More than 2,500 runners, most tional Monument.' . gation of the King beating is I'd probably do anyway, sa1tl
sinister into this," Lomax said. of them law enforcement person- This year's race will include, wholly unrelated. to the social Lawler~ ·
·· "But it's probably going to mise nel, will participate in the relay '129 teams, including at least 25 event. He said the FBI investiga~on .
some eyebrows, especially with race in teams of 20 that will start LAPD squads as well as teams · "One issue is different from of the King beating focuses on of··.
I people concerned with the inves· running near Baker, about 120 from the Los Angeles County the other in my mind. I doubt the fleers who were at the scene, and
tigation in the aftermath of the miles west of Las Vegas. Sheriffs Department; the FBI; subject would ever come up," not the entire division.
· Rodney King incident. It might The race, which started as an the U.S. Secret Service; the USC McBride said, addipg that both "We are talking to a lot of peecreate
an appearance of impro· intersquad challenge within the Campus Police; the U.S. Postal law enforcement agencies have pie- they are not (all) under i~.·
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rJ.iety." · LAPD's Metro Division, has\ex- Service; two police teams from standards of professionalism that vestigation," Lawler said. 'tW~·
~ R.amona R,ipston, head of the panded ·to include teams from Canada, and one representing the are not affected by social rela· have a professional relationship
Southern California chapter of throughout the LAPD and other media: tionships. , ·with the Los Angeles Police·~-
, ~At\lerican Civil Liberties Un- U.S. law enforcement agencies, Foothill Capt. Tim McBride Besides, McBride said, "Those.· partment, I don't see that'i·~·
ion, called the Foothill Division's as well as some frorri abroa~ po- said his division•s hospitality (agents) actively involved 'in the changing at all., 1~ 1 ' ~