THE PEOPLE VS. THE CITYOF MAYWOOD
Ralph M. Rios asks the
Maywood Chief of
Police to resign
Almost a Third of Maywood's Officer's Have
Been In Trouble with the Law


Los Angeles (CNS)  -- Responding to
allegations that the Maywood Police
Department hires corrupt and incompetent
cops, the department today announced
intended changes in policies and procedures.

Maywood police officers have been accused of
trying to run over the president of the Maywood
Police Commission in the parking lot of City
Hall; impregnating a teenage police Explorer;
and hiding the truth regarding a fatal police
shooting that resulted in a $2.3-million legal
settlement, according to the Los Angeles
Times.

The department, which has 37 officers and
patrols a square-mile city of 30,000 people,
mostly Latinos, south of downtown Los
Angeles, is known in law enforcement as a
department of ``second chances,'' the
newspaper reported.

A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy fired for
abusing jail inmates, a former Huntington Park
officer charged with negligently firing a gun
and driving drunk, and officers unable to pass
other training programs are among Maywood's
officers, The Times reported.

At least a third of its officers have either left
other law enforcement jobs under a cloud or
been in trouble with the law while working for
Maywood, The Times reported.

In response to The Times' front-page story,
interim Maywood Chief of Police Richard
Lyons issued a statement saying his
department is in the process of implementing
changes in its Policy and Procedure Manual.

Internal Affairs investigations will no longer be
handled by the department itself, Lyons said. A
private investigations firm will take over
internal affairs to handle complaints, many of
which have been carried over from the former
administration headed by former police Chief
Bruce Leflar, who resigned in the fall, he said.

The department will also hire a new private
investigations firm to do background checks.

``The department is confident changes in the
background investigation process will raise
the standard for future applicants,'' Lyons said.

Also under review is the use of lead-filled billy
clubs called sap weapons.

Current policy allows officers to carry the
weapons, which many law enforcement
agencies have banned because of the brutal
injuries they can cause, according to The
Times.

``The Maywood Police Department is
committed to professionalism and has been
fully cooperative with the Los Angeles County
District Attorney's Office and the California
State Attorney General's Office,'' Lyons said.
``The public should view the Maywood Police
Department as a whole and note the positive
and hard work performed by officers on a daily
basis.''
IF YOU HAVE
INFORMATION
REGARDING THE
MAYWOOD POLICE
DEPARTMENT

PLEASE CALL  
RIOS & KING

626-583-1100