Many people wish to live in a community where crime does not exist. Unfortunately, many people live in a community where crime is a big problem. Crimes that occur in a community can not be solved by the people living there. Crime in a community must be solved and regulated by the police. The Los Angeles police department has had a difficult time regulating and stopping many problems that occur in the communities. The Los Angeles police department has had a troubled history, from pervasive corruption of the 1930s and 1940s, to the bitter feelings of the city's minority communities toward former chief Daryl Gates" department, culminating in the uproar over the 1991 beating of Rodney King. The Los Angeles police department current troubles are the Rampart scandals that have taken police misconduct to a new level of lawlessness and given currency to a new term: The Gagster Cop. The Los Angeles police department has to get rid of the "Gangster Cop" image. In my paper I will explain why getting rid of the gangster image will also eliminate many bad cops, change the Rampart division, and change the way police is supervised.
A main reason why the Los Angeles police department has a gangster cop image is the fact that there are many bad cops. Rafael Perez, was a Los Angeles police officer accused of stealing six pounds of cocaine from downtown headquarters to sell on the street. Perez exposed other officers who were involved in the drug trade. Perez gave a detailed account of how the Los Angeles police department's anti-gang unit went about its business. Perez said, "my colleagues routinely framed innocent gang members, lied in court, and occasionally shot and planted weapons on unarmed people." (Glater 26). Perez revealed the true face of the police department. Investigations immediately followed and this is what the investigation led to, forty criminal convictions have already been reversed, and hundreds more are targeted for immediate review.