A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly recording promotional exam questions on a pair of “Mission: Impossible”-style camera-equipped smart glasses and passing the information on to others.
Officials at the department have launched an investigation into allegations that the officer, possibly in collaboration with others, cheated on the sergeant’s exam this year. In a statement Wednesday, the department confirmed that internal affairs investigators had obtained warrants to search the officers’ personal and city electronic devices for evidence of possible wrongdoing.
According to authorities, this officer, whose name and position have not been revealed, gave a forced interview to investigators.
A department statement, released in response to a Times investigation, said it was investigating whether “a small percentage of employees … may have engaged in unethical behavior,” and the probe covered about 1,600 officers awaiting inclusion on the promotion list for sergeant.
While the press release did not mention the camera glasses, two sources familiar with the pending investigation but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that they were the suspected cheating device.
Rumors of alleged cheating on exams have circulated for weeks in the department. The issue was raised at a senior staff meeting this month, during which acting chief Dominic Choi refused to dismiss the reports as rumors, saying instead that they were still under investigation. Contacted a few days later by a Times reporter, Choi said the department had no evidence that this was true.
Following these initial denials, department officials say new information has been received that requires further examination.
Deputy Chief Michael Rimkunas of the Professional Standards Bureau, which covers internal affairs, said that although the test is for LAPD officers, it is administered by the city’s human resources division, which first began investigating the allegations independently of the LAPD’s internal affairs division.
As a result, Rimkunas said, LAPD officials were only aware of “extraordinary rumors.” He said the department continued its investigation after receiving “additional actionable information” from human resources officials.
“At the time there were no details about who was involved and the exact method of deceiving whom,” he said.
Investigators searched the unidentified officers’ devices on Tuesday, the department said.
As of Wednesday, the department said no officers had been relieved of duty in connection with the incident. It also said it was unclear what the allegations were about the exam results. Potential sergeant candidates also face oral interviews that have been suspended, according to a department email obtained by The Times.
A spokesman for the Human Resources Department said he would have to consult with the department’s director general before reviewing the case.
