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Complaint
Follow-On ... motorcycle officers speeding
September 2, 2004
Hello,
I tried to address to the OIG (Office of the Inspector General)
but the website was unavailable. Please forgive me if this is the
wrong forum to submit this.
On May 2, 2004 I submitted a citizen complaint on motorcycle officers
speeding past me quite frequently on my way to work on SB 405 freeway
without their emergency lights on. Why I submitted this complaint
is because a former LAPD commanding officer friend of mine informed
me that vehicles, especially motorcycles, become uncontrollable
for emergency maneuvers at high rates of speed from 75 – 80 mph
and I have concern:
1) for the officers’ safety and
2) for other motorists that may come in harm’s way should an incident
occur.
The complaint was investigated by the LAPD. The results were communicated
to me in a letter dated August 23, 2004 by Chief Bratton, countersigned
by Capt. David Baca. Basically, “Insufficient evidence to adjudicate”
came back for those officers I could not read license plates for,
either because they were going too fast or the plates were concealed.
For the officers I did get plate numbers for, one was a Beverly
Hills officer, the other from LAPD West Traffic – the latter being
labeled “not resolved” because of “insufficient evidence to prove
or disprove the allegation.” Apparently I didn’t score too well
on my (and my colleague’s) interviews/discussions with [the Sgt.
who investigated] to convince him this was a problem.
Why I am writing this note is to state that I am still being passed
by motorcycle officers at a high rate of speed, sometimes recklessly,
in the mornings on my way to work, the most recent being yesterday,
September 1, 2004 at 4:45 AM. This time I could not read the entire
license number because the license plate light was not on (however
I did see a “K” and a “7”). I personally believe this non-emergency
driving is unsafe. And while the LAPD feels that I am mistaken,
incorrect, or not expert in my accounts, the fact of the matter
is that officers are passing me carelessly, and this does not seem
to concern anyone. Maybe it is the CHP that needs to monitor the
driving habits of police officers, hence the copy of this to them
– certainly they are more qualified to make these observations than
I.
Thanks for your consideration in this matter.
Best regards,
Dennis Pikop
Sylmar
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EDITOR'S NOTE: I spoke to Mr. Pikop at a phone number he'd provided
and assured him that LAPD takes such complaints seriously and would
see this, as he does, as an issue of safety for both the officers
and the community. He also wrote the same letter to CHP.
At LAPD, the Office of the Inspector General is charged with general
oversight of the complaint system for the Police Commission. It
seems the OIG website is malfuntioning at the moment but I'll place
the link here anyhow. In the past it's worked fine for me:
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Office of the Inspector General
http://www.oiglapd.org/
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