Bell police union says baseball game memo is ‘much ado about nothing’

The Bell Police Officers Assn. on Tuesday issued strong denials of any knowledge or participation in a "baseball game" in which officers may have competed to issue tickets, impound cars and arrest motorists.

Rules of the game were outlined in a memo obtained by The Times and discovered in police files. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office acknowledged that it also has a copy of the memo and is investigating. It is unclear who wrote the memo or whether department officials had condoned it.

DOCUMENT: Read the memo and rules of the "Bell Police Department Baseball Game"

But the police association said in a statement Tuesday that the memo was "a parody" of former Bell administrator Robert Rizzo's "profoundly nonsensical 'towing policy.'" The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the city violated civil rights through improper towing of cars and code-enforcement activities.

"In short, this memo is much ado about nothing since the memo was never meant as a standardized policy but rather a parody," according to the statement, which adds that the police association welcomes any investigation into the memo. "We are confident as they uncover the truth about Robert Rizzo's 'towing policy,' they will find that Bell police officers have consistently opposed the now defunct policy often at the risk of their own jobs."

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Bell police memo outlines "baseball game" targeting drivers

Federal probe targets possible civil rights violations in Bell

-- Kimi Yoshino

Comments

[Borchy]

anyone that believe what ANY union official OR member say ... raise your hand!!!

[shadowpark]

That is to be expected ,
The cops get money for these impounds of course they will deflect any accounts of impropriety !

[Brainiac]

Allow me to translate the Bell police union's comments:

THE CODE OF SILENCE IS NOW IN EFFECT.

Of course they deny. Why on earth would an apple that's rotten to the core admit it's rotten?

[fred kagan]

Any one who believe the polices is a moron, oh wait most of the city of bell city council candidates want to save the police , get rid of the police force the corruption runs through the entire city government.

[Another Game]

Wouldn't it be funny if mortgage originators had a similar game? They could have earned an increasing number of points by giving mortgages to 1) People who did not quite meet the requirements 2) people who obviously lied on the paper work 3) people who had no way of supporting an adjustable rate mortgage when it adjusted 4) people who had no job or means of making payments 5) etc.... And of course, double points if they put less than 5% down.

[CITIZEN]

Bull. THESE COPS ARE NO GOOD. They it was wrong but did it anyway.

[ywecare]

But this IS much ado about finally putting former Bell police chief Randy Adams in jail!