LAPD officer's felony eavesdropping charges cut to misdemeanors

Daniel Flores, a Los Angeles police officer, faced 16 felony eavesdropping counts for covertly recording more than 100 instances of racist, sexist and homophobic comments by fellow officers in the department’s recruitment unit. The original charges carried a potential sentence of up to 13 years in prison. Following sharp backlash from Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez and some prosecutors, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the felonies would be reduced to misdemeanor offenses and the matter would likely be handled via a diversion agreement.

Under such an arrangement, Flores would need to meet certain conditions for roughly a year, after which the case could be dismissed. Flores had filed a complaint with the LAPD inspector general’s office, alleging the recorded officers should face discipline, and later sued the department for alleged retaliation. The LAPD’s inspector general’s office declined comment, citing state law, but noted that misconduct complaints are routinely forwarded to Internal Affairs.