Question: How can the people of this country trust their own police forces when the police themselves (some of them) are guilty of perjury, corruption, drug sales, attempted murder?

The Los Angeles Times has been following the Los Angeles' Police Department corruption scandal involving members of its Rampart Division. Up to 3,000 prosecuted cases are now under investigation as having been tainted by police corruption involving stolen drugs and frame-ups. Prisoners have had to be released after it was discovered that the police framed them. One man was shot so many times by police that he was even left paralyzed.

Below are the most recent stories that the newspaper has printed and a small synopsis of each as provided on their website.

Rampart Probe Is Dividing Local Leaders
Sunday, February 13, 2000
Byline: JIM NEWTON
TIMES STAFF WRITER
The Los Angeles Police Department's ever-expanding Rampart Division corruption crisis is driving a wedge through long-standing political relationships as some local leaders brace for the scandal's fallout, insulate themselves from damage and, in the view of some critics, concentrate on containing the issue rather than pursuing it to the end.

10 More Rampart Cases Voided
Wednesday, January 26, 2000
Byline: SCOTT GLOVER and MATT LAIT
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
A judge on Tuesday overturned the convictions of 10 people who were allegedly framed by officers from the LAPD's Rampart Division, bringing the number of cases that have been thrown out in the wake of an ongoing corruption investigation to 23.

4 More LAPD Officers Are Suspended
Friday, January 14, 2000
Byline: MATT LAIT and SCOTT GLOVER
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
Four more officers connected to the Los Angeles Police Department's scandal-ridden Rampart Division have been relieved of duty as a result of the department's ongoing corruption probe, sources said Thursday.

Council Votes to Provide Lawyers for Perez in 2 Lawsuits
Thursday, January 13, 2000
Byline: BETH SHUSTER
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Acting on a request from Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard C. Parks, the Los Angeles City Council agreed in closed session Wednesday to provide legal representation in two lawsuits to former officer Rafael Perez, the main informant in the Rampart police corruption case.

Rampart Probe May Now Affect Over 3,000 Cases
Wednesday, December 15, 1999
Byline: HENRY WEINSTEIN
TIMES LEGAL AFFAIRS WRITER
More than 3,000 questionable cases will have to be scrutinized as a result of the Rampart police scandal, vastly more than previously reported, and both Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti and Public Defender Michael Judge now say the massive review means they will need additional resources to handle the task.

Judges Overturn 4 Convictions Linked to Rampart Probe
Wednesday, December 1, 1999
Los Angeles Superior Court judges on Tuesday overturned the criminal convictions of four men because authorities now believe they were set up by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's scandal-plagued Rampart Division.

2 Versions of Frame-Up Emerge in Rampart Probe
Saturday, November 20, 1999
Byline: SCOTT GLOVER and MATT LAIT
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
Dueling theories of jealousy and revenge emerged Friday as motives for the framing of a gang member by Rafael Perez, the former Los Angeles police officer at the center of the department's expanding corruption scandal.

Another Inmate Set to Be Freed in Police Probe
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Byline: SCOTT GLOVER and MATT LAIT
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
The Los Angeles district attorney is expected to seek the release of a third prison inmate on Friday as a result of the unfolding LAPD corruption investigation, and detectives are scrutinizing additional cases that call into question the conduct of more officers, according to sources close to the inquiry.

2nd Inmate to Be Freed in Rampart Probe
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Byline: MATT LAIT and SCOTT GLOVER
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
A second prison inmate authorities now believe was framed by corrupt officers of the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division is expected to be freed from custody this week, while another will be released from parole and yet another will be ordered resentenced, according to sources close to the ongoing corruption probe.

Ex-Rampart Commander a Focus of Probe, Sources Say
Friday, September 24, 1999
Byline: JIM NEWTON
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Los Angeles Police Capt. Nick Salicos is known as "Nick the Knife," a nickname he earned from subordinates who complain that he leans hard on them and is quick to punish.

Civilian Panel Asserts Control Over LAPD
Wednesday, September 22, 1999
Byline: BETH SHUSTER
TIMES STAFF WRITER
The Los Angeles Police Commission asserted its authority in a long-running struggle for control over the Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday, using an unfolding scandal and a new opinion by the city attorney to insist that the police force and its chief be subordinated to civilian leadership.

Captain Under Fire as Rampart Probe Expands
Tuesday, September 21, 1999
Byline: JIM NEWTON and ANN W. O'NEILL
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
The Los Angeles Police Department's investigation into corruption at the Rampart Division has expanded into the command ranks. Capt. Richard Meraz, formerly the station's second-highest officer, has been cited for failing to supervise officers under his command, officials familiar with the investigation said Monday.

Rampart Probe May Put Gang Injunction at Risk
Sunday, September 19, 1999
Byline: RICH CONNELL and ROBERT J. LOPEZ
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
Some of the most persuasive police testimony used by prosecutors to obtain a sweeping anti-gang injunction in Los Angeles was made up, according to a fired Rampart Division officer who is cooperating with investigators.

(Stories Titles & Synopses: courtesy Los Angeles Times)