Los Angeles, Ca

Crude details emerge in racism, sexism scandal rocking L.A. Police Department

Published

9 months ago

March 10, 2025

Crude details emerge in racism, sexism scandal rocking L.A. Police Department

Crude details, including secret recordings, are emerging in a case of alleged racism and sexism by several male and female officers working in The Los Angeles Police Department’s Recruiting Employment Division.

In mid-February, news of the scandal broke after the Los Angeles Times learned of a written complaint outlining the accusations, which was filed anonymously on Jan. 5.

At the time, LAPD said four officers, including a lieutenant and a sergeant, had been assigned home with their police powers stripped amid the investigation. That number has reportedly increased by two additional officers.

The Times has since reviewed a copy of the complaint that details around 90 recordings between March and October in the department’s recruiting division where officers and supervisors reportedly hurled discriminatory remarks about colleagues and possible recruits based on race, sex and sexual orientation.

Some of the crude remarks include a Latina officer saying, “You hit Black people in the liver; I heard they got weak livers,” and referring to a Latina janitor as a “wetback.” A Latino officer reportedly said, “Black people enjoy watermelon in between basketball.”

An Asian sergeant is said to have criticized a civilian female supervisor to his subordinates for “looking like a man,” The Times reported, and then made jokes about the genitalia of Asian women.

Los Angeles Police Department officers are deployed around the police headquarters in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Five of the six officers reportedly caught up in the scandal include Sgt. Denny Jong, who is Asian, Lt. Louis Lavender, who is Black, an officer identified only as McKay, Ofc. Shirley Burgos, a Latina and Ofc. Christian Flores, a Latino, according to The Times’ reporting.

The complaint alleges that Lavender, who oversaw the section, overheard and witnessed many of the conversations, though did nothing to stop them.

“Man, we’re going to end up in the L.A. Times the way you all talk in here,” he’s allegedly recorded saying. “You all can bring down the whole department.”

Jong, who reportedly ran the office day-to-day and is characterized in the complaint as leading the crude and prejudicial language, is also accused of allowing his officers to review the names of potential background investigators for the unit and then letting the officers veto them when they came up for hiring.

The allegations and investigation come at a time when LAPD is struggling to fill its ranks ahead of the Olympics and the World Cup.

Newly installed L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell has made it clear that the department faces staffing issues, saying that at the time of his appointment, there were 1,200 fewer officers than when he was last on the force 15 years ago, The Times reported.

While department officials have said the investigation into the matter is a top priority, the complaining officer, a Latino himself and a 10-year veteran of the department, is also likely to face an investigation into whether the recordings were made illegally.

His attorney, Greg Smith, told The Times, that officers should expect privacy from these types of recordings while in uniform and in a public building “ridiculing the very people they took an oath to serve.”

Smith added that his client, who has not been publicly identified, handed the recordings over to LAPD’s Inspector General.

As for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who was briefed on the complaint when it was filed in January, she referred to the allegations in a statement as “especially outrageous and unacceptable.”

“Growing LAPD’s ranks is a top priority of this Administration, and for our city’s safety,” she said.

The mayor added that she and Chief McDonnell are working together to “fix the recruiting and hiring process and make sure that officers stuck in the past don’t tarnish the badge for everyone else.”

Los Angeles, Ca

Ditch typing and note-taking – try these apps

Published

9 months ago

March 19, 2025

Press Room

Ditch typing and note-taking – try these apps

The future of voice to text is here.

I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.

If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!

Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.

Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.

Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)

Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.

Don’t want to tie up your phone?

I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.

The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.

The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.

Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.

You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.

Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.

Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?

My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.

On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.

And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.

Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.

One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.

Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.

It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.

Enjoy your newfound time!

Los Angeles, Ca

Prison officer survives alleged attack by inmate transferred from L.A. County

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Press Room

Prison officer survives alleged attack by inmate transferred from L.A. County

An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.

The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”

The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.

“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.

Anthony G. Ramiez, 43, seen in this undated mug shot. (CDCR)

The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.

Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.

Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.

Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.

Los Angeles, Ca

Algal bloom sickening marine mammals off Southern California 'will only get worse'

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Press Room

Algal bloom sickening marine mammals off Southern California 'will only get worse'

A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.

“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.

Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.

MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.

A dolphin stranded at Dockweiler North is seen in an image posted on March 13, 2025. (L.A. County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)

“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.

Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.

More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.

The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.

“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.

Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.