A Los Angeles Police Department officer who revealed multiple examples of racism within the city’s police force is now the one facing legal trouble, as he is charged with over a dozen felonies for making the recordings of his fellow officers. The cop’s legal team is fiercely defending the officer, arguing that he did not violate eavesdropping laws and condemning authorities for punishing him rather than the racist cops he exposed.
LAPD officer faces felony charges for recording colleagues’ racist comments
LAPD officer Daniel Flores has been charged with 16 counts of felony eavesdropping for recording racist, sexist, homophobic and otherwise bigoted comments made by fellow officers. The recordings, secretly made by Flores in 2024, were part of an official complaint that he filed with the LAPD in 2025. In announcing the charges, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman condemned the content of the recordings while also blaming Flores for making them without the knowledge of the other officers. “We deplore the sexist, homophobic and racist remarks made by certain LAPD employees, and they should be held accountable for such statements,” Hochman said. However, Hochman pointed out that California is an “all-party consent state,” which generally prohibits recordings made without the consent of all involved parties in situations where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. “One cannot simply choose to break the law because one wants to pursue a personal agenda,” Hochman argued. Flores faces up to 13 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
Flores revealed widespread racism, bigotry in LAPD recruitment division
The charges against Flores come over a year after he filed a complaint with the LAPD that outlined a toxic and bigoted environment. Flores’ complaint focused on the LAPD’s Recruiting Division Personal History Section, the division in charge of evaluating new recruits to the police force. Backed by nearly 100 recordings that Flores secretly made of members of the division, the complaint documented widespread racism and bigotry expressed against Black, Latino and Asian people as well as women and LGBTQ+ individuals. The comments included widespread examples of crude racial stereotypes, the use of slurs, and even references to racial violence; a Latina officer, for example, gave advice to fellow cops to “hit black people in the liver; I heard they got weak livers.” Leaders within the unit, including Sgt. Denny Jong, who is Asian American, and Lt. Louis Lavender, who is Black, were accused of condoning these expressions of prejudice and sometimes making biased comments themselves. The revelations in the complaint drew widespread outrage and condemnation, including from Los Angeles officials; Mayor Karen Bass referred to the documented behavior as “especially outrageous and unacceptable.”
Flores’ legal team defends officer against alleged retaliation
The Los Angeles Times reported that Flores’ criminal defense attorney, Alan Jackson, said that “the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged a police officer with a crime for reporting racism inside the Los Angeles Police Department.” In doing so, the county was sending a message, Jackson said. “If you document bigotry inside the LAPD, you will be the one who ends up in a courtroom. It tells them the safe move is to hear slurs and say nothing.” Jackson has said that he will argue that Flores did not violate the California Invasion of Privacy Act because Flores was acting in his official duties as an LAPD officer and because his fellow officers did not enjoy a reasonable expectation of privacy while on the job. Gary Smith, Flores’ civil attorney, also notes that Flores faces a possible 22-day suspension from the police force after an internal investigation found that he violated department policy. Flores recently filed a lawsuit accusing the LAPD of retaliating against him.
Flores is fighting against both the departmental discipline and the criminal charges against the whistleblowing cop. And the officer’s legal team is calling out Los Angeles authorities for seeming to perpetuate a disturbing double standard by which the person who called out racism and hatred is being punished rather than the officers who expressed such bigotry.