LOS ANGELES (AP) — High-ranking Justice Department officials are
personally looking into possible federal civil rights violations in
the city's police corruption scandal.
The Justice Department has monitored the Police Department since
1996 to determine whether excessive force allegations have a
recognizable pattern.
Bill Lann Lee, acting assistant attorney general for civil
rights, and Steven Rosenbaum, who oversees the Justice Department's
inquiry into LAPD conduct, were arriving Monday for two days of
interviews with police and city leaders, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The corruption scandal stems from allegations that anti-gang
officers in the Rampart Division beat, framed and sometimes shot innocent people.
The Justice Department could seek a court order to force the
department to accept an outside monitor of its investigation,
implement reforms or turn over police records.
However, such strong action is rare.
Updated March 13, 2000, 11:20 a.m. ET
Federal officials arrive in Calif. for LAPD corruption inquiry
