A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly recording promotional exam questions on a pair of camera-equipped smart glasses, Mission: Impossible style, with the intention of passing the information on to other test-takers.
Department officials have launched an investigation into allegations that the officer, perhaps in collaboration with others, cheated on a sergeant’s exam this year. In a statement released Wednesday, the department confirmed that Internal Affairs investigators had obtained a search warrant for several officers’ personal and city-owned electronic devices in an attempt to find evidence of possible wrongdoing.
The officer, whose name and job assignment were not released, gave a mandatory interview to investigators, according to officials.
The department's statement, issued in response to a Times investigation, said it was investigating whether “a small subset of employees … may have engaged in any unethical behavior” related to the test, which was taken by about 1,600 officers hoping to be placed on a promotion list to become sergeants.
While the press release did not mention camera glasses, two sources familiar with the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly confirmed that this was the suspected means of cheating.
For weeks, the department had been speculating about possible cheating on the exam. The issue was raised at a senior staff meeting this month, during which acting chief Dominic Choi stopped short of dismissing the reports as rumors, saying they were still under investigation. When contacted by a Times reporter a few days later, Choi said the department had no evidence that it was true.
Since those initial denials, department officials said, new information has come to light that warrants further investigation.
Deputy Chief Michael Rimkunas of the Office of Professional Standards, which includes Internal Affairs, said that although the exam is for LAPD officers, it is administered by the city's Personnel Department, which first began investigating the allegations independently of the LAPD's Internal Affairs division.
As a result, Rimkunas said, LAPD officials were only aware of “non-specific rumors.” The department proceeded with its own investigation after receiving “additional actionable information” from personnel officials, he said.
“At the time there were no details about who might be involved or the exact method by which cheating could be carried out,” he said.
Investigators reviewed the unnamed officers' devices on Tuesday, the department said.
As of Wednesday, the department said no officers had been relieved of duty in connection with the incident. It also said it was unclear what bearing, if any, the allegations would have on exam results. Potential sergeant candidates also face oral interviews, which have been suspended, according to a department email obtained by The Times.
A spokesman for the Personnel Department said he would have to consult with the department's general manager before discussing the case.
