Former LAPD Chief Michelle Moore is accused by two internal affairs detectives of ordering an investigation into Mayor Karen Bass’ ties to the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Police Inspector General’s office announced Tuesday. He committed no wrongdoing.
Acting Inspector General Florence Yu said her office’s investigators determined the complaints against Moore were “baseless,” meaning they proved no wrongdoing occurred. The findings were announced Tuesday at a meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners, the five-member civilian panel that oversees the department.
The detectives’ attorney, Greg Smith, called the investigation part of a cover-up by a committee that “politicized and protected Sheriff Moore for years.” As evidence, he said, investigators didn’t even bother to interview his client, the detective who filed the original complaint.
Moore said in an interview Tuesday that he was pleased with the outcome of the investigation into the allegation, which he called “without any merit.”
“It makes no sense and is very sensational,” he said. “I’m pleased to know that the investigation has found what I’ve said from the beginning – [the detectives’ complaint] This is not true.
The allegations against Moore were first reported by the Los Angeles Times late last year after two detectives filed complaints with the inspector general’s office claiming they were ordered to investigate Bass shortly after he was elected. Moore has strongly denied the accusations.
Two senior detectives who made the claims said they were summoned to a meeting with the then-captain. Internal Affairs Director Divyesh “John” Shah relayed the request to investigate Bass and suggested the order came from Moore.
Detectives said in their complaint that they found Moore’s alleged request so disturbing that they ultimately declined the assignment. It’s unclear why internal affairs investigators would be called upon to handle such an investigation.
Shah withdrew from home affairs after being promoted to commander.
Yu did not provide specific details about his office’s investigation in an interview with the committee on Tuesday. She also did not comment on the whistleblower’s concerns that Moore’s subordinates may have misinterpreted the chief’s words and asked for Bass to be investigated without his knowledge.
Bass’s opponent in the 2022 mayoral race, Rick Caruso, has questioned Bass’s $95,000 scholarship to the USC School of Social Work. He criticized former Speaker Bass, a six-term congressman, for accepting the bill and later introducing legislation that would give USC and other private universities broader eligibility for federal funding.
Bass has long denied any wrongdoing. The House Ethics Committee approved her request to accept a tuition award.
Although federal prosecutors did not bring charges against Bass, they said in court documents that her scholarship and her dealings with USC were “critical” to a corruption case involving the university and a top Los Angeles County official.
Moore announced his sudden resignation in January, saying he would not serve out a second five-year term to spend more time with his family. He and Bass have repeatedly said the charges have nothing to do with his decision to retire.
Commissioner William Briggs said Tuesday that it was clear from the inspector general’s investigation that “the allegations against former Commissioner Moore are completely false, they are defamatory and there is in fact no evidence” of his conduct. improper.
“Unfortunately, we live in an era where individuals can make completely baseless accusations,” Briggs said, while adding that “the motives of the police officers making these accusations are and will be the subject” of further investigation. .
Interim Police Chief Dominic Choi, speaking to reporters after the meeting, said he could not comment on the matter because he was not aware of the investigation’s findings.
A spokesman for Bass did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
The findings were dismissed as political theater by the detectives’ attorney, Smith.
“I can’t think of any situation where the inspector general or the committee would [ever] “If Moore is found to have engaged in any wrongdoing, they appear to be protecting his image rather than investigating the wrongdoing,” Smith said in a statement.
“Multiple police officers have complained about Moore’s desire to investigate the mayor, and now the commission intends to retaliate against those officers in a blatant attempt to silence employees who wish to file complaints against high-ranking LAPD officers guilty of misconduct and abuse,” Smith wrote. right.
He also said the investigation constituted a conflict of interest given Moore’s close relationship with recently departed Inspector General Mark Smith, who cited Moore as a reference when he applied for a police supervisory position in Portland, Oregon.
