It’s disingenuous to suggest that the consent decree makes it possible for bad guys to go after a cop or his or her family–the LAPD already compiled personal information on its officers before the consent decree was issued.
I’d like to know if there are any instances of a cop actually being “greenlighted”–to use Officer O’Shea’s colorful street vernacular–as a result of confidential information having been leaked.
Cops are entitled to have their personal information treated with the utmost confidence by the LAPD. If that isn’t happening, then the Protective League should insist that the LAPD improve its record handling procedures, not try to obstruct the decree.
As Lord Acton said, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Police have extraordinary power over citizens, so there need to be sufficient routines and controls in place to ensure that they do not abuse that power. While the majority of officers are truly dedicated public servants, there are a handful of bad actors in any police force that make these measures necessary.
