Lapd Rampart Division

THE "RAMPART SCANDAL"

The Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) anti- Gang program initiated under the direction of LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates had encountered some success in the Rampart Division. However, in 1998-99, graphic allegations emerged of extreme police misconduct among Rampart's CRASH squad. The resulting scandal—exacerbated by what is widely viewed as inept Public Relations management by then-chief Bernard Parks —severely compromised the credibility of the LAPD, and the Rampart Division in particular, during a time when the department had only just begun to recover from the public relations fiasco of the Los Angeles Riots .

The most prominent casualty of the scandal was Parks, who was not rehired by newly elected Mayor James K. Hahn in 2001. While Parks's termination was hailed by outside observers and the LAPD's rank and file, Hahn's indelicate handling of the matter cost him the support of South Los Angeles 's black community, leading to his crushing defeat by Antonio Villaraigosa in the 2005 Election .

The pullback in Rampart Division CRASH operations following the scandal is widely believed to have enabled Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a notoriously violent gang, to establish a firm base of power in Westlake's huge Salvadoran population.

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Lapd Rampart Division