Story perspectives

DA Charges LAPD Officer with 16 Felony Eavesdropping Counts

8/1/2026

Summary

Story summary

District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged Los Angeles Police Department officer Daniel Flores with 16 felony eavesdropping counts for 2024 recordings.
The tapes allegedly capture racist, homophobic and sexist remarks by unit members.
Attorney Alan Jackson says Daniel Flores faces 13 years in prison and will plead not guilty, arguing the recordings were duties.
Chief Jim McDonnell backed the prosecution and set Flores’s arraignment for Aug. 10 in Department 30 of Foltz Center.

History

Historical Context

After the 1999 exposure of the Rampart CRASH unit—where Rafael Pérez’s confession implicated about 70 officers, led to 106 overturned convictions and $125 million in settlements—the city adopted consent-decree reforms overseen by the Justice Department. In 2024, District Attorney Nathan Hochman indicted Officer Daniel Flores on 16 felony eavesdropping counts, testing the oversight championed by Chief Jim McDonnell.

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Story summary

District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged Los Angeles Police Department officer Daniel Flores with 16 felony eavesdropping counts for 2024 recordings.
The tapes allegedly capture racist, homophobic and sexist remarks by unit members.
Attorney Alan Jackson says Daniel Flores faces 13 years in prison and will plead not guilty, arguing the recordings were duties.
Chief Jim McDonnell backed the prosecution and set Flores’s arraignment for Aug. 10 in Department 30 of Foltz Center.

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