A months-long investigation has cleared former LAPD Chief Michel Moore of misconduct after two internal affairs detectives accused him of ordering an investigation into Mayor Karen Bass' ties to USC, the sheriff's office announced Tuesday. inspector general of the Los Angeles police.
Florence Yu, acting inspector general, said investigators in her office determined the complaint against Moore was “baseless,” meaning they showed that no misconduct had occurred. Yu announced the results of the investigation during a meeting Tuesday of the Board of Police Commissioners, a five-member civilian panel that oversees the department.
Greg Smith, an attorney for the detectives, called the investigation part of a cover-up effort by a commission that “has been politicizing and protecting Chief Moore for years.” As proof, he said, investigators didn't even bother to interview their clients, the detectives who filed the original complaint.
Moore said in an interview Tuesday that he was satisfied with the outcome of the investigation into an allegation he described as “without any basis.”
“It didn't make any sense and it was very sensational,” he said. “I'm glad to know that the investigation found what I said from the beginning: [the detectives’ complaint] It was not true”.
The allegations against Moore were first reported by the Los Angeles Times late last year after the two detectives filed complaints with the inspector general's office alleging they had been ordered to investigate Bass shortly after his election. Moore has strongly denied the allegations.
The two senior detectives who filed the claims said they were summoned to a meeting with then-Capt. Divyesh “John” Shah, head of internal affairs, who conveyed the request to investigate to Bass and suggested the order came from Moore.
In their complaints, detectives said they found Moore's alleged request troubling to the point that they ultimately declined the assignment. It is unclear why internal affairs investigators would have been asked to handle such an investigation.
Shah has since left internal affairs after his promotion to commander.
While speaking before the commission on Tuesday, Yu did not offer details about his office's investigation. He also did not comment on a question raised by a whistleblower about the possibility that Moore's subordinates misinterpreted the boss's words and requested to investigate Bass without his knowledge.
His opponent in the 2022 mayoral race, Rick Caruso, raised questions about Bass's $95,000 scholarship to USC's school of social work. He criticized Bass, a former Assembly speaker and six-term member of Congress, for accepting it and then offering legislation that would have given USC and other private universities broader eligibility for federal funding.
Bass has long denied any wrongdoing. The House Ethics Committee approved his request to accept the tuition grant.
Although federal prosecutors did not charge Bass, they said in court documents that his scholarship and his dealings with USC were “critical” to a corruption case involving the university and a top Los Angeles County elected official.
Moore announced his abrupt resignation in January, saying he would not serve his second five-year term so he could spend more time with his family. He and Bass have repeatedly said the allegations had nothing to do with his decision to retire from it.
Commissioner William Briggs said Tuesday that it was clear from the inspector general's investigation that “the allegations against former Chief Moore are completely false, they are defamatory; In fact, there is not the slightest evidence” that he acted inappropriately.
“It's unfortunate that we live in a time where people can make completely unfounded accusations,” Briggs said, adding that “the motivations of the officers who made those accusations are and will be the subject of” further investigation.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, acting police chief Dominic Choi said he could not comment on the matter because he was not aware of the investigation's findings.
A spokesman for Bass did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
Smith, the detectives' attorney, dismissed the findings as political theater.
“I can't think of any case where the IG or the Commission [ever] “If we discover any wrongdoing on Moore's part, it appears they are protecting his image rather than investigating wrongdoing,” Smith said in a statement.
“Several officers complained that Moore wanted the mayor investigated,” Smith wrote, “now the Commission intends to retaliate against those officers in a blatant attempt to curb the rights of employees who wish to file complaints against city officials. high-ranking members of the LAPD who commit misconduct and abuse. their positions.”
He also said that given Moore's close relationship with recently deceased Inspector General Mark Smith, who cited Moore as a reference when he applied for a police watchdog position in Portland, Oregon, the investigation amounted to a conflict of interest.
