LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A former Los Angeles Police Department officer has identified 99 individuals --involved in 57 cases -- whose convictions were wrongly obtained, according to LAPD Police Chief Bernard Parks.

Parks said the cases were uncovered during an internal investigation involving allegedly corrupt LAPD officers. So far, 21 convictions have been overturned -- 10 on Tuesday alone -- in the wake of the growing scandal.

Parks said the 99 figure includes some of the 21 convictions already made public.

The former officer, Rafael Perez, as part of a plea deal to lighten his own sentence for stealing cocaine from a police evidence locker, has implicated himself and others in crimes ranging from planting evidence to shooting unarmed suspects.

So far, at least 20 officers have been placed under investigation and the the police department has recommended that the Los Angeles County District Attorney bring criminal charges against at least three of them.

More than 1,500 -- some say as many as 4,000 cases -- are currently being reviewed.

On Tuesday, the district attorney said in the next few weeks he may seek the setting aside of as many as three dozen cases, but that was before the latest development.

Link

Related story: Judge overturns 10 more convictions tied to L.A. police corruption probe

-- Randy Newman (i@love.la), January 28, 2000

Answers

Truly a sad, sorry, state of affairs.Not saying anything about the honorable Policemen and Policewomen who now serve and protect,but I think some of them serve their own interests And Protect their own ass's.Perhaps I'm getting cynical in my old age,but what is going on in L.A is happening in New York and Chicago,and right here in River City.

-- Dan Newsome (BOONSTAR1@webtv.net), January 28, 2000.

Um, can you say L.A. riots II? Sounds like that's where this is leading to.... :(

-- Crono (Crono@timesend.com), January 28, 2000.

I read a different story yesterday (can't find it now) that said over 9,400 cases were under review and 5,000 of them would likely be overturned. I don't know which makes me more angry; the fact that innocent people were undoubtably put in prison or the fact the at least some truly guilty people are going to walk. All because these cops abused the authority WE LENT TO THEM.

Want to know what Justice would be?? Make the cops serve out the sentences of those that were convicted. Might make other cops think twice about doing what they did....

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), January 28, 2000.

Found the link

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), January 28, 2000.

DA in LA cautious about dropping tainted cases

The names of more than 9,800 other people
in whose cases the 14 Rampart officers and
13 officers from other L.A.P.D. divisions
who had some role in the alleged corruption
charges have been turned over to attorney
Steve Yagman, whose office is already handling
the cases of five people who have filed civil
rights suits in the scandal.

Not even Yagman, however, believes that all
9,800 cases are tainted.

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), January 28, 2000.

Although the Rampart investigation remains
largely shrouded in secrecy, there have
already been verified reports of shootings,
beatings, drug dealing, witness intimidation,
planting of evidence, false arrest, perjury,
and at least one armed bank robbery tied
directly to LAPD officers.

Already 20 LAPD officers have been terminated
or relieved from duty in the scandal.

Meanwhile, no more officers have been arrested
or prosecuted for their criminal activity, and
only three are even being considered suspects.
The double standard is obvious. Given the
staggering volume of evidence of criminal
conspiracies, if the suspects were anyone but
police officers, they would have been locked up
long ago.

The LAPD Rampart corruption scandal exposes the
corrupt relationships that exist between police,
prosecutors and judges. The most alarming aspect
of this affair is that virtually
all the people
falsely convicted pled guilty to crimes they did not
commit, rather than risk exercising their
democratic right to a jury trial.

WSWS

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), January 28, 2000.