The case revolves around the publication of the photos on the website "Watch the Watchers" by journalist Ben Camacho and the activist group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition in March 2023. But in filings this week, lawyers for the city told the court that although some officers had worked undercover in the past or might wish to do so in the future, "none of these more than 900 Doe Plaintiffs are presently true full-time 'undercover officers.'" Assistant city attorney Hector Emilio Corea said in a sworn affidavit that he was part of a team of lawyers and staffers from the city attorney's office who painstakingly combed through most of the plaintiff officers' backgrounds. The names of full-fledged undercover officers — who work deep-cover operations with outlaw biker gangs, terrorist groups or drug cartels — are kept out of department records and are known to only a handful of superiors. The city attorney's office didn't respond to an email on Tuesday requesting further comment.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 14, 2024 17:33 UTC