Outrage, disappointment over police officer who allegedly lied about being shot
School and police officials expressed outrage and disappointment on Friday over allegations that Los Angeles School Police Department Officer Jeff Stenroos lied about being shot by an assailant outside El Camino Real High School last week.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines issued an apology, noting that the shooting case caused thousands of students to be under lockdown for hours.
"On behalf of the thousands of dedicated professionals that comprise the Los Angeles Unified School District, I would like to apologize to the public for the hoax that was perpetrated by a rogue officer of the Los Angeles School Police," Cortines said in a statement. "Thousands of people were inconvenienced by the actions of this one man. I want to again apologize to everyone who was alarmed, who worked long hours and who were adversely affected by his actions."
Cortines said the LAUSD has relieved Stenroos of duty and begun the process of firing him.
"Although Jeff Stenroos was an eight-year veteran of the Los Angeles School Police, his actions in no way reflect the professionalism and integrity of the men and women who protect and serve this District every day," he added.
Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said Stenroos was a "disgrace."
"The law enforcement community is disgusted," Weber said in a statement. "While Mr. Stenroos is a disgrace to the badge, his individual and dangerous actions should not reflect on the hard-working men and women in law enforcement."
Police announced Thursday that Stenross' story of being shot was a concocted. Stenroos has been booked on a felony charge of filing a false police report, and was released on $20,000 bail Friday morning.
Police had said Stenroos was shot in the chest Jan. 19 after he confronted a man who was attempting to break into vehicles near the eastern boundary of the El Camino Real High School campus. Stenroos' bulletproof vest absorbed the impact of a single gunshot, which Los Angeles Police Department officials said could easily have killed the officer.
The incident sparked a massive police response that inconvenienced thousands of people for the day as officers blocked roads, locked down schools and refused to let people in or out of a 7-square-mile area.
Authorities arrested Stenroos after he allegedly admitted to fabricating the story, a senior LAPD official close to the investigation told The Times.
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-- Richard Winton, Joel Rubin and Andrew Blankstein
EDITOR'S PICKS:
I guess that I'm not following why people are reacting to this with bad information. It seems that more than half of the people responding think this dope was an LAPD officer - he was not. It also seems like more than half the people responding think that there is some big conspiracy afoot - come on. This was one guy saying that he was shot - he had a bullet, a dented vest, a bloody head and some bruising on his chest consistent with a vest shot. Are the responders at the scene supposed to question a sworn LAUSD officer or are they supposed to go find the guy brazen enough to shoot a cop? The reaction wasn't the issue - the lie that started the chain of events was the issue. Why would LAPD cover anything up in this case? I live in the area and was one of the parents lucky enough to have a kid at Hale and at El Camino and I dealt with the chaos - but honestly, while all of us thought that there was a crazed gunman out there who had just shot a cop, some inconvenience getting our kids from their respective schools was the least of our concerns. Focus on the problem - not the impact that it had on you. The problem is that this guy did this thing - he should be held accountable for his actions - blaming the LAPD for their reaction and handling of the incident is completely off base.
Posted by: Kings Fan | January 28, 2011 at 02:21 PM
1) Isn't ballistics analisys one of the first things they do during an investigation?
2) Didn't Becks said the reaction (and what many called over-reaction) of the PD was absolutely justified?
3) The local media went nuts over this story...TV channels cancelling their usual programming to cover this story (another over-reaction, even if it was true)
Posted by: Rick | January 28, 2011 at 03:34 PM
And people wonder why so many people don't trust cops...If one can lie about something this major, please believe they will lie about other stuff..ie falsifying reports to ruin innocent ppls lives, unjust killings, unjust beat downs etc.....those lies go unpunished bc people believe whatever these cops say or write no matter how absurd their lies be......hmmmm
Glad this one was exposed though...There's more where he came from! Believe that!
Posted by: batteredbypd | January 28, 2011 at 03:36 PM
Police don't lie.
Posted by: blackone | January 28, 2011 at 03:55 PM
This is show how much we can trust our people who should protect citizens
Posted by: Mike | January 28, 2011 at 03:56 PM
I hope the LAPD realize that they botched this big time, and I'm not talking about this being a hoax, but about their draconian military occupation of the Valley because some dude with a *gasp* GUN shot someone. Because God knows that's a rare occurrence in this town.
Posted by: Sophie | January 28, 2011 at 03:59 PM
the funny thing is how the Media , LAPD ,and Sheriffs where trying to use this cop getting shot as a reason to drum up support to ban the cop killer bullets is that the reason this cop faked the whole thing maybe the cop killer bullets will keep the law enforcement community in check and honest
Posted by: wow | January 28, 2011 at 04:15 PM
"Dave" posted...
"Do you idiots even know anything about your own city? You keep saying in all your comments "LAPD" this and "LAPD" that. You do realize that LA School Police and the Los Angeles Police Department are two completely different agencies, they have two different and complete different hiring processes and they don't even go to the same police academy.
Los Angeles literally has the stupidest citizens in the world. Ready to scream and moan and complain, and can't even get a simple, easily known fact straight. Blame the school police department for this one, not the LAPD."
I have to agree. Many of the comments here are just sad and shows the lack of education and reading comprehension of most of the posters here.
Whatever the motive of Stenroos, it has nothing to do with LAPD and the Police Union.
Posted by: LATaxpayer | January 28, 2011 at 04:55 PM
After reading these comments, I'm convinced that most of you are a product of the LAUSD. Bad spelling, bad punctuation, and the simple fact that half of you are commenting on false facts.
1. LAPD and LAUSDPD are two entirely different agencies.
2. He was shot. His vest was dented and his chest was bruised.
I'm sure when it all comes out in the wash, we'll find that someone did shoot him, they shot him for personal reasons, and he covered it up because he didn't want those reasons to become public.
Posted by: Don_J | January 28, 2011 at 05:10 PM
No 1 is asking, no1 is answering-Why did he lie?
Posted by: johnaminear | January 28, 2011 at 05:30 PM
I want to screw up my easy job in the West Valley where I am paid well with the possibility of a 20 years full retirement.
What a stupid, stupid man.
Posted by: Sal Bando | January 28, 2011 at 05:56 PM
just some fact checking for some of the readers.
He was probably shot by someone: there was a 9mm casing found. The officer doesn't carry a 9mm as a duty weapon. There was evidence of a gunshot on his shirt and vest. There was a treatable chest injury consistent with having been shot.
He's LAUSD police officer, not LAPD. Different selection process entirely. This is not particularly germane to the topic.
As to the "witness", he came upon the officer after the incident. He never claimed to have seen any shooter.
Posted by: nr | January 28, 2011 at 06:54 PM
well , i am happy that this cop show's what is in a lot of police officer in this city and in the u.s., every case that this cop has been involed in should get a new review. as was the female officer who was in the recent incident with the school kid. that everyone saying is lies. WHAT IF ??? the cop said this was a black man who shot him??? would there be a 1000 cops and the national guard called in ? would the other cops who was really hopeing to kill someone that day would have drawn a gun on every black man they seen that day. or ...they would have simple shot a black man and call this cop a hero and closed the case? ITS PREETY OVBIOUS THAT A LOT OF POLICE TO DAY WATCH TO MANY HOLLYWOOD COP SHOWS AND LIVE THE FANTASY .
Posted by: chief justice | January 28, 2011 at 07:55 PM
"The law enforcement community is disgusted," Weber said in a statement.
He isn't half as disgusted as the kids who had to piss in a trashcan with
30 of their friends watching. In my 30 + years of driving in L.A., I have
fought six moving bogus violation charges. In all six cases, the police
officer lied, several times, under oath in the courtroom. If cops are not taught
to lie, they all seem to pick it up pretty quickly.
Posted by: Dave Smith | January 28, 2011 at 08:00 PM
You mean I missed all my daytime programs over a hoax??? Now I'm really pissed!
Posted by: Diane Huff | January 28, 2011 at 09:32 PM
Again, stupidity running amok here.
I just researched the pension plan for LAUSD police officers. NO THIS LYING COP will not get a pension, he is not elgible to receive one, he has not served enough time and he has not contributed enough money to the pension fund.
So many people here have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to pension plans.
Posted by: u know | January 28, 2011 at 09:56 PM
"Ignorance" .......People, the actions of 1 Cop is going to let you judge all cops? Be real and true to yourselves. Without cops we would be in utter chaos! Were all quick to judge, but who do you call in a moments notice when your in fear from gang violence or other crimes....uuummmm let me see, "THE POLICE"!!! STOP JUDGING for the the poor actions of one or a few....
Disgusted
Posted by: just_me | January 29, 2011 at 01:49 PM
He was shot, he just shot himself while playing with his gun. It was obviously inadvertant but he would have been in some trouble so he lied to cover it up.
Posted by: amir white | January 30, 2011 at 04:27 PM
I am a nurse who took care of him after the, "shooting" and he did NOT have a mark on him! Not even a bruise his chest! I and the other nurses commented to him about this and he just shrugged his shoulders! We wondered!
Posted by: KC | February 03, 2011 at 09:19 AM
@KC
i am not defending this crooked cop, he deserves to be fired and possibly a jail stint
YOU HOWEVER are no better than he is. you just violated the HIPPA laws....you're lapse of judgement and professionalism is unacceptable.
you too should be fired....
or is it ok to discuss patients medical treatment in a public forum?
Posted by: u know | February 04, 2011 at 09:47 AM