美国国家公共电台 NPR--LAPD chief asks inspector general's office to investigate release of officer photos

LAPD chief asks inspector¹ general's office to investigate release of officer photos

Transcript²

NPR' Leila Fadel talks to Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Richard Winton about information that identifies thousands of LA police officers being published by an online database.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The Los Angeles police chief and one of his commanders are under investigation³ following the release of thousands of photos of LAPD officers, including many who work undercover. The photos and identifying information about more than 9,000 officers were given to a watchdog group and posted on a website called Watch the Watchers. Chief Michel Moore concedes it's put some officers at risk. LA Times investigative crime reporter Richard Winton has been covering this story and joins me now. Good morning, Richard.

RICHARD WINTON: Good morning.

FADEL: So if you could just walk us through how this happened. How did a public information request end up including the identity of undercover officers, blowing their covers, essentially⁴?

WINTON: So what happened was there was basically a request to get these records. And there was, you know, the usual delays and sort of discussions. And there was actually a lawsuit⁵ filed. And then the city, at some point, along with the Los Angeles Police Department, decided⁶ they would turn over the photos. There was discussion that they would - these items would be turned over, but not the ones who were undercover, in some capacity - their identity would threaten their safety. Somehow, internally, within the LAPD, that wasn't really done, and only a very small group of officers' photos were withheld⁷. And now it turns out more than 9,000 were turned over, and including in that were numerous people who do work undercover, day to day. Some of them are in deep covers. Some are assigned to task force or working, say, with the FBI or some other federal agency in some capacity.

FADEL: So what does this mean for their safety and for their investigations⁸?

WINTON: Well, the big question is they're already apparently⁹ making efforts to protect them and sort of make sure that there's no actual threat posed to them. But no one really knows at this point because, obviously, it's not like someone wants to talk about the fact that their cover's been blown potentially. And we may not know the consequences immediately. But, yes, there is a potential here of life-and-death kind of issues for maybe a small number - maybe, like, 40 or 50 people.

FADEL: How does something like this happen? I mean, I've made a public information request where things are so heavily redacted I can't even understand the document I'm reading sometimes. So how is there such an oversight¹⁰ for these handful of officers?

WINTON: Well, what happened was it seems that someone - and they haven't identified who specifically, individually, in the department did this - when they filtered out who shouldn't be turned over, they didn't really go back and say to these - say to these various divisions, hey, we're going to release these photos. Are there people here undercover in these photos who we shouldn't release? Because if we do, their investigations or their joint¹¹ investigations maybe with other things like the FBI, will be threatened, that just basic internal checks and balances didn't occur. And so last year, I think these photos were turned over, and eventually, they were built into this website which appeared last Friday.

FADEL: And what's the goal of the website?

WINTON: The goal of the website is basically - they're just about public disclosure and public responsibility. These are the people we pay to be the servants in Los Angeles who enforce laws.

FADEL: LA Times reporter Richard Winton. Thank you so much for your time and your reporting.

WINTON: Thank you.

1 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

11 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。