LOS ANGELES _ Four more cadets have been arrested as part of the Los Angeles Police Department's widening investigation into a group of teenagers who allegedly stole police cars _ an embarrassing episode for the department that drew national headlines when it surfaced last week.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck told his civilian bosses at a Police Commission meeting Tuesday that the four cadets from the department's 77th Street Division were arrested in connection with taking police vehicles or joyriding in them. A total of seven cadets have now been arrested as part of the investigation, all but one from the 77th Street station.
Beck later said that investigators believe some of the cadets conducted at least one traffic stop in one of the stolen cruisers, gave the driver a warning for some type of violation and then let the motorist go. Investigators do not believe the cadets handcuffed, arrested or used force against the driver, he said, but the detention alone could bring additional criminal charges.
Beck said investigators conducted more than three dozen interviews over the weekend and have made "some significant progress in determining the scope of what happened."
The new arrests stemmed from those interviews, the chief later told reporters.
The thefts were discovered Wednesday when three of the cadets led LAPD officers on two pursuits in a pair of stolen police cruisers, Beck said. The chases ended abruptly in separate crashes and the teenagers were arrested. Another LAPD cruiser also crashed during the chase, but no officers were injured.
Detectives later discovered that the cadets stole three police cars and may have also stolen a bulletproof vest, two stun guns and two police radios, Beck announced at a news conference last week.
No additional equipment was recovered during the most recent arrests, Beck said Tuesday. The department is conducting a citywide check to ensure all of its gear is accounted for.
The chief cautioned that investigators were still interviewing cadets and may find additional wrongdoing as part of the inquiry.
"We are pressing forward with this to make sure that we find everybody involved," he said.
One of the cruisers was stolen directly from the Central Division's downtown parking garage, sources told the Los Angeles Times last week. Another was taken from the 77th Street station, the sources said. One of the vehicles may have been missing since late May, according to Beck.
Sources told the Times that one of the missing vehicles had been driven more than 1,000 miles.
The seven cadets arrested as part of the case range from 14 to 20 years old, Beck said. Their names have not been released, in part because most are minors.
Beck has suspended the cadet program at the 77th Street Division _ the "primary" station involved, the chief said _ and the Pacific Division, where one of the cadets was based. Captains are holding one-on-one meetings with each of the cadets at those divisions, Beck said, and are planning to meet with parents as well.
The chief is planning to personally address the cadets at a graduation ceremony scheduled for Saturday. Beck said Tuesday that he had told all cadets _ even those who are not graduating _ to attend.
Thousands of young people ages 13 to 20 have participated in the LAPD's cadet program over the years, and about 2,300 are currently enrolled. The program, which aims to foster strong relationships between the city's youth and police, has long been hailed as a success by LAPD brass.
Cadets participate in an 18-week academy training program, taking various classes while getting an introduction to police work. After completing their training, cadets can be assigned to one of the city's police stations, where they may volunteer for a wide array of tasks, such as working community events or passing out fliers alerting residents about crime.
Current and former cadets have expressed disappointment and frustration over the incident, saying such behavior could damage the reputation of an important program.
"I think this is unfair _ that the actions of a few cadets revolves around all of us," Nebby Vartanyan, a 17-year-old cadet, told the Times last week.
Beck and the city's police commissioners emphasized their support for the cadet program on Tuesday, saying the "very bad decisions" of a few teenagers should not detract from the other 2,300 involved.
"We need to do what we can to make sure incidents like this don't happen again ... but we also don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater here," said Matt Johnson, the Police Commission's president. "It's a great program."
