July 7, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

LAPD at fault in 80 percent of collisions, says watchdog report

Courtesy Image
Courtesy Image

Police officers were at fault in 80 percent of collisions as they responded to emergencies with their sirens turned on during a six-month stretch last year, according to findings by a police independent watchdog.

During the first half 2014, actions by officers were the cause of 21 of 26 collisions involving Los Angeles police cars responding to “Code Three” emergencies, Inspector General Alexander Bustamante said in his report, which will be considered today by the Los Angeles Police Commission.

Code Three responses to emergencies refer to when police officers are driving with their car sirens and lights turned on.

The 26 Code Three collisions were out of 483 total crashes involving police officers during those six months, the report said, with Bustamante noting that collisions are the second costliest source of liability for the department.

The top reason the officers were driving in Code Three mode prior to crashing was to offer backup, amounting to 14 of the collisions.

Another five of the Code Three crashes occurred during car chases, four were while they were responding to a “citizen-related call,” and one was when the officer was on the way to a traffic collision incident.

Investigators found eight of the 26 Code Three crashes to be the result of “unsafe speed,” out of which, six occurred while the officers were trying to make turns too quickly, the report said.

The OIG also wrote that he believes a ninth crash also occurred due to unsafe speed, disputing the investigator’s finding that the cause was “other than driver.”

This crash involved officers chasing a stolen car and driving into a tree stump, which the OIG said was due to “improper driver, unsafe speeds” and resulted in the officers being hospitalized and the car sustaining “major damage.”

Three other crashes happened because officers drove their cars forward or backwards unsafely. Two of the collisions occurred when patrol cars responding to the same emergency crashed into each other.

A third incident involved another car backing into the patrol vehicle, but police supervisors considered this the fault of the officer because the police car was also moving forward at the time.

Out of seven crashes that happened at an intersection, five were not caused by police officers, and were instead caused by civilian drivers who did not yield to officers as they drove through with their sirens blaring and lights flashing. The remaining two crashes were considered the officers’ fault because they were going against red lights.

Bustamante wrote that many of the investigations into the collisions lacked information about the speed at which the drivers were going, and current policy only asks officers to report the speed if they know it. He recommended that the officers and investigators be required to include information about the speed the police cars were going at before they crashed.

The report also found that at least 14 of the 49 officers involved in the 26 crashes were not wearing seatbelts, and it was unclear whether another nine officers were wearing seatbelts or not because the police reports contained inconsistent or inaccurate information.

More than three-quarters of the 20 officers who mentioned they did not use seatbelts said they chose not to wear them due to “tactical reasons.”

Related Posts

Michael Madsen, Star of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, Dies at 67 in Malibu

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Actor Remembered for His Intense Performances and as a Poet  Actor Michael Madsen, known for his distinctive gravelly voice and...

Los Angeles City Council Cracks Down on ‘Disaster Tours’ in Pacific Palisades

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

City Council Bans Commercial Bus Tours in Burn Zone Amid Community Backlash Tour buses that have been operating in fire-ravaged...

Tow Truck Scammers Target Crash Victims Across L.A.: Authorities Warn of Fraud at Accident Scenes

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officials Urge Drivers to Stay Alert After Collisions as Rogue Operators Demand Inflated Fees  Motorists involved in vehicle accidents are...

Woman Dies After Melrose Store Altercation: LAPD Launches Homicide Investigation

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Critically Injured Young Woman Died July 2, After She was Badly Beaten at Work  The death of a woman critically...

CHP Officer Dies in Culver City Crash: Medical Emergency Suspected Behind Tragic Incident

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

Officer lost consciousness while transporting a suspect before crashing into a tree California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Cano died early...

L.A. Beaches Brace for Holiday Rush: Over 1 Million Visitors Expected This Fourth of July

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

County Officials Urge Beachgoers to Pack Out Their Trash and  Monitor Water Quality More than one million visitors are expected...

(Video) A visit to New York Bagel & Deli in Santa Monica

July 3, 2025

July 3, 2025

Authentic NY Style Bagels with Extra Creamy Cream Cheese and Multi-Cultural Desserts. Located at 2216 Wilshire Blvd. A visit to...

Hot Dogs & Rosé: Something About Her and The Culver Hotel Roll Out Summer Specials

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Westside Venues to Serve Playful Bites and Seasonal Sips For the Holiday Weekend A bold new offering is making its...

NeueHouse Hosts Bold One-Night Dinner With Culinary Phenomenon Diego Argoti

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Acclaimed Chef Brings Culinary Mischief With a Five-Course Tasting Experience. NeueHouse Hollywood will host an exclusive, one-night-only dining event on...

(Video) Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Go To Homefrontbuild.com For More Information @home_front_build Legacy, Reimagined: Architecture, Design & Construction by Home Front Build Los Angeles Go...

405 Crash Near the Getty Sends Three to Hospital: Two Seriously Hurt Near Site Where LAPD Sgt. Died

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Early Morning Multi-Vehicle Collision Shut Down Lanes Near Brentwood Three men were injured and traffic was snarled for hours following...

(Video) Jikoni, the AfriCali PopUp from celebrated cookbook author Kiano Moju Has Been Extended Until July 3 at Citizen Public Market

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Bold Flavors and Spice Merge with Crisp, Chewy Chapati. Delicious With a Caring Chef and Staff. Jikoni, the AfriCali PopUp...

Pentagon Orders Troop Drawdown in LA: 150 National Guard Members Reassigned to Wildfire Duty

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Federal Forces Begin Partial Withdrawal From Protest Response as California Leaders Push Back U.S. Northern Command announced Tuesday that 150...

California Highway Patrol Deploys for Independence Day Enforcement Surge

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

All Available Officers to Hit California Highways for Holiday Weekend As Californians gear up for Fourth of July festivities, the...

Court Postpones Arraignment for Driver in Malibu Crash That Killed Four Students

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Fraser Michael Bohm Faces Murder Charges in Fatal PCH Wreck  The arraignment for Fraser Michael Bohm, the 23-year-old man accused...