Names, photos of Los Angeles undercover police posted online

Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. undercover / ˌʌn dərˈkʌv ər / (adj.) – working in secret to obtain information, especially for the police
    Example:

    The undercover police officer pretended to be a university student.


  2. disclosure / dɪˈskloʊ ʒər / (n.) – the act of revealing something, such as information or a fact
    Example:

    Public disclosure of your personal information could be dangerous.


  3. at (someone’s) fingertips / ət ˈfɪŋ gər tɪps / (idiom) – relating to something that’s easy to find or use
    Example:

    People now have information right at their fingertips because of the internet.


  4. secrecy / ˈsi krə si / (n.) – the state of being secret or keeping something secret
    Example:

    The two largest tech companies negotiated in secrecy. Many were surprised when they announced a partnership.


  5. inadvertent / ˌɪn ədˈvɜr tnt / (adj.) – not planned or intended
    Example:

    Due to an inadvertent technical error, the online bank mistakenly deducted money from its clients.


Article

Read the text below.

The Los Angeles police chief and the department’s constitutional policing director are under investigation after the names and photographs of undercover officers were released to a technology watchdog group that posted them online, the Los Angeles Times reported.


LAPD Chief Michel Moore offered his “deep apologies” to the undercover officers, who were not given advance notice of the disclosure, during a police commission meeting.


The watchdog group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition posted more than 9,300 officers’ information and photographs in a searchable online database, the Times reported, following a public records request by a reporter for progressive news outlet Knock LA.


The database includes information on each officer including name, ethnicity, rank, date of hire, badge number and division or bureau. It was not immediately clear how many of the officers listed were undercover.


Stop LAPD Spying Coalition opposes police intelligence-gathering and says the database should be used for “countersurveillance.”


“You can use it to identify officers who are causing harm in your community,” the group wrote. “Police have vast information about all of us at their fingertips, yet they move in secrecy.”


The department’s release of the undercover officers’ names and photographs was inadvertent, the Times reported. While the city attorney’s office determined the agency was legally required to turn over the records under California law, exemptions are often made for safety or investigative reasons.


Police officials say the database’s photos pose safety risks to officers who are currently undercover, as well as those who might work in that capacity in the future.


The department’s inspector general launched the investigation into Moore and constitutional policing director Liz Rhodes after the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, filed a misconduct complaint against them.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • In your country, how do you think the police force is using people’s personal information at their fingertips (ex. fairly, dishonestly)? Discuss.
  • The Los Angeles police department’s release of the undercover officers’ information was inadvertent. How do mistakes like this affect your confidence in authorities, such as the police? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Do you think information regarding public officials (ex. policemen, politicians) should be public? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What information from public officials do you think should be made public (ex. name, position)? Discuss.