The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has recently faced criticism by both American and French officials after embarking on a trip to France with the intention of developing security plans with local authorities. After the wife of an officer claimed to have had her phone stolen from her on the streets, the LAPD security detail detained the suspect on foreign soil.
This incident not only highlights the problematic actions of the police department in France but also raises questions regarding their ability to properly treat their own citizens back home. JML Law, A Professional Law Corporation is a Los Angeles-based legal firm dedicated to informing the public about the actions of their protective services.
California Police Officers’ Competencies in Question
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is currently under fire after an incident that occurred between officers and locals in the southern French city of Marseille. The LAPD was invited to France in order to meet with French police officers as Paris and Los Angeles will be hosting the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics respectively. The point of these meetings was to review security measures and potential strategies for protecting patrons at the games. They hoped to “develop organizational security plans” before the Summer games.
The controversy arose when two unnamed members of the LAPD had an incident with a random man on the streets of the coastal French city. The officers involved in the incident were part of Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore’s security detail. They accompanied Michael Moore himself and Assistant Chief Robert Marino, in addition to their wives and a French National Police attaché as they left a restaurant.
Shortly after their meal, Marino’s wife claimed to have been bumped by a man who stole her phone. Moore’s American detail followed the accused man in response to the accusations, stopping him and the group he was traveling with. They promptly detained the man, but later determined that the men had not stolen any property. The French police officer took complaints from the men about their detention after the incident.
The situation is described by the media as peculiar as Moore was not actually present for the detention, indicating that his protective detail departed with him to pursue the men – something that is rarely performed as a detail’s primary responsibility is to protect their principal.
Although the United States Consulate, local Marseillan police, and Los Angeles Police Commission were informed of the incident, there has been serious concern raised with the officers’ behavior when dealing with the accused men. Generally speaking, foreign law enforcement officers have no jurisdiction in other countries unless otherwise granted permission by the local government. This means that in the case of Moore and his American security detail, it would be illegal for them to detain French citizens on French soil.
The Firm for Police Misconduct in Southern California
The public has shown concern with unlawful behavior by police officers in Los Angeles. Even as serious cases of police misconduct occur in Los Angeles, the fact that LAPD officers were willing to detain a foreign citizen on their own soil has led many to question the competency of these officers.
Law firms such as JML Law, A Professional Law Corporation are here to keep police misconduct in check. If you or a loved one has been influenced by the unlawful actions of a police officer in Southern California, please call us at 818-610-8800 or click here to get into contact with one of our Los Angeles police misconduct attorneys as soon as possible.
