LAPD officials this week revised upward the number of former officers seeking to have the department reexamine their firings in the wake of the Christopher Dorner saga to 69.
On Sunday, The Times reported that dozens of fired LAPD cops had expressed a desire to take Chief Charlie Beck up on his offer to review the cases of officers who believed they had been fired unfairly. At the time, the union representing rank and file officers placed the number of former officers who had come forward at 40. Department officials did not respond to a request for their tally.
Beck opened the door to the reviews in February amid the upheaval caused by Christopher Dorner, a rookie cop fired in 2009 for allegedly fabricating a story about his partner kicking a handcuffed man during an arrest.
Dorner resurfaced violently in early February when police say he stalked and killed the daughter of the attorney who had defended Dorner during his discipline proceedings and her fiance. He also posted online a manifesto of sorts, in which he announced his intention to exact revenge against the LAPD for his firing. In it, Dorner, who was black, painted the department as a racist and corrupt organization that wrongly pushed him out.
Those claims tapped into deep veins of discontent among many current and former officers, who believe the department's decisions on discipline are capricious and unfair. In an effort to stem the growing sense of discord, Beck made the public offer to have cases of disgruntled officers reviewed.
At the same time, Beck launched a reexamination of Dorner's firing. The results of that review are expected to be made public in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith said the department now is aware of the names of 69 fired officers who have expressed interest in having their cases reviewed or who others have suggested are deserving of a review.
Under the rules put in place by the department, ex-officers who want their cases reexamined must submit a sworn affidavit or similar statement about the circumstances surrounding their terminations from the department and explaining why they believe the firings were wrong.
If a review was to turn up improprieties in an officers' firing, there may not be anything to do about it. The city's charter prohibits Beck from reinstating an officer fired more than three years ago.
Copyright 2013 - Los Angeles Times
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
