LAPD officer who exposed colleagues' hate speech faces reduced charges after whistleblower lawsuit
Officer Daniel Flores, who recorded racist, sexist and homophobic remarks by fellow LAPD members, was initially charged with 16 felonies but now faces misdemeanor counts after a backlash and a whistleblower suit.
LAPD officer Daniel Flores secretly recorded his peers making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes and turned the tapes over to Internal Affairs in February 2025, attaching a USB drive with 122 recordings. After the department presented the case to prosecutors on July 1, 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office initially refused to file charges, citing insufficient evidence. Following Flores’s civil suit alleging retaliation, the office revived the prosecution and filed 16 felony eavesdropping counts, which could have carried up to 13 years in prison.
Widespread criticism, including from Mayor Karen Bass, led District Attorney Nathan Hochman to reduce the charges to misdemeanors with a diversion option. Flores, represented by Greg Smith, says he was targeted for trying to expose misconduct and now endures isolation from fellow officers. He remains employed by the LAPD but is on medical leave, describing the experience as having “ruined” his life. The case highlights tensions between California’s two-party consent law and whistleblower protections within law-enforcement agencies.
Why it matters
The case tests how whistleblowers exposing police misconduct are treated under California's strict recording laws.
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