LAPD investigates allegation that police officer cheated on exam with camera glasses

A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly using a camera-equipped smart glasses to record the questions of a “Mission Impossible”-style advertising exam in order to pass the information on to other test takers.

Department officials have launched an investigation into allegations that the officer, possibly in collaboration with others, cheated on a sergeant’s exam this year. In a statement Wednesday, the department confirmed that Internal Affairs investigators obtained search warrants for several officers’ city-owned and personal electronic devices to find evidence of possible misconduct.

The officer, whose name and job assignment were not disclosed, gave investigators a coerced interview, officials said.

The agency’s press release, which responded to a request from The Times, said it was investigating whether “a small group of employees may have engaged in unethical conduct” in connection with the exam. The exam was taken by about 1,600 officers hoping to be promoted to sergeant.

Read more:Who will be the next LAPD chief? Possible finalists spotted in the mayor’s mansion

While the press release does not mention the camera glasses, two sources familiar with the investigation, who are not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that they were the suspected fraud tool.

Speculation about possible fraud on the exam had been circulating in the department for weeks. The matter was raised at a senior staff meeting this month, where interim chief Dominic Choi did not dismiss the reports as rumors but said the matter was still under investigation. When a Times reporter contacted Choi a few days later, he said the department had no evidence the matter was true.

Since those initial denials, new information has come to light that requires a more detailed investigation, ministry officials said.

Michael Rimkunas, deputy director of the Professional Standards Bureau, which includes the Internal Affairs Division, said that although the audit was intended for LAPD officers, it was administered by the city’s Human Resources Department, which initially investigated the allegations independently of the LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division.

Read more:LAPD union leader faces complaints that his security company hires problem cops and underpays them

As a result, Rimkunas said, LAPD officials were aware of only “nonspecific rumors.” The department launched its own investigation after receiving “additional actionable information” from human resources officials, he said.

“At this point, there were no details about who might have been involved or exactly who might have gone about committing the fraud,” he said.

Investigators searched the devices of the unnamed officers on Tuesday, the agency said.

As of Wednesday, the department said no officers had been relieved of duty in connection with the incident. It also was not clear what impact, if any, the allegations would have on exam results. Potential sergeant candidates also face oral interviews that have been put on hold, according to a department email obtained by The Times.

A human resources spokesman said he would need to consult with the department’s director general before discussing the case.

Sign up for Essential California to get news, features and recommendations from the LA Times and beyond delivered to your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.