I’m sure most of you remember Baldwin Park Councilman Anthony Bejarano’s arrest last year.
It was just after 10 p.m. on a Friday night in September. Bejarano and two friends had just visited a few restaurants and bars in downtown Los Angeles before taking the train back to Baldwin Park, then stopping for nachos and beer, according to the councilman.
Except his friends were pulled over by Baldwin Park PD. And after an exchange with officers — in which Bejarano says he was trying to inform his friend of his legal rights — Bejarano was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public.
The DA declined to file charges against Bejarano in the case, so it was eventually dropped. But Bejarano didn’t let things die there — he filed a personnel complaint with the Police Department in a matter he felt was handled “inappropriately.”
Police Chief Lili Hadsell responded by hiring a company, who then hired a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigator to review the incident.
That review was completed three months ago, and Hadsell said she’s made decisions as a result.
No one is talking specifics about the complaint or the officers involved, because it is a personnel issue. But Bejarano said “there were some concerns that will be handled internally.”
A police report from that night includes narratives from officers Matthew De Hoog and Richard Ogas, and Sgt. Doug Parnell.
I wonder how much the investigation cost?
