---

 [ NEIGHBORHOOD ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=327)

#  What Doesn’t Inglewood Want You to Know About Its Cops?

HIDDEN POLICE FILES - The City of Inglewood, Calif., is arguing in court for the right to destroy records that could shed light on misconduct in its police department.

Written by Keith Reed.

<a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)

 [Comments](#disqus_thread)

HIDDEN POLICE FILES - The City of Inglewood, Calif., is arguing in court for the right to destroy records that could shed light on misconduct in its police department.

On Jan. 1, a new law takes effect in California expanding how long police departments have to keep files on cops’ behavior and what the departments have to make public. In the meantime, the ACLU has been fighting to gain access to use-of-force reports and other data from the department since 2019. Now, the [Los Angeles Times reports ](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-29/inglewood-blocked-from-destroying-police-disciplinary-records)that a judge issued a temporary order banning the Inglewood Police Department from destroying any records.

**From the Los Angeles Times**

The ruling comes three years after the city was thrown into controversy over its handling of law enforcement documents.

In late 2018, the city of Inglewood destroyed hundreds of police records in the weeks before Senate Bill 1421 went into effect. The law [expanded public access to police use-of-force,](https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-police-transparency-bill-passes-20180831-story.html) misconduct and disciplinary records for departments across the state. Critics argued Inglewood sought to destroy years of investigative records involving police dating to 1991 just ahead of the new law, a claim city leaders rejected.

“This premise that there was an intent to beat the clock is ridiculous,” [Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said at the time.](https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-inglewood-protest-20181223-story.html)

Since 2019, the Inglewood Police Department has not produced a single document under SB 1421, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California in a lawsuit filed Dec. 23. On Dec. 14, the Inglewood City Council adopted a resolution to purge more police records, including all internal affairs investigations dated through Dec. 31, 2016, and all use-of-force reports and pursuit reviews dated through Dec. 31, 2019.

Police departments around the country are notorious for skirting open records laws, potentially keeping the public from knowing which officers have patterns of dangerous behavior. Dozens of departments in New York state, for example, didn’t respond to a newspaper’s [request for cops’ disciplinary records](https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/12/06/new-york-police-department-freedom-information-requests-50-a-records/8568638002/) even after the state of New York changed the law in 2020 to require disclosure.

New Hampshire just opened its so-called “[Laurie List](https://www.pressherald.com/2021/12/29/new-hampshire-begins-making-secret-police-list-public/)” of cops with questionable credibility to the public on Wednesday. Such lists are important because prosecutors could be required to disclose cops’ record of dishonesty or misconduct to defendants. A [reporter in Oklahoma](https://www.rcfp.org/legal-hotline-kosu-allison-herrera/) had to call a legal hotline for help getting police records on a shooting death by the Glenpool Police Department, after the department denied an open records request for documents. The victim’s family had been given no information by the department.

 Not to be outdone, the LA County Sheriff’s Department hid a list of deputies with histories of misconduct even after the California Supreme Court ordered them to release the info. That list was finally made public this year under the same law that Inglewood police have been trying to get around, and the information on it is [nothing short of ugly](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-19/sb-1421-sheriffs-department-disclosure).

*(Keith Reed is an occasional essayist for The Root, which published this article.)*

[![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/ME%20DENTAL%20SPA/me%20dental%202026%20final.jpg)](http://medentalspa.com/)

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png)

## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays &amp; Thursdays

 Website

 [ ![LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20level%20pay%205-7-25.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)")

 [ ![Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/HHR/AHF-rent-too-high.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/104 "Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2")

 ---

##  Featured CityWatch Stories

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/bb/062a-bb8ffb47.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33163:4-4-billion-later-inside-the-broken-machinery-of-los-angeles-homelessness-system&catid=312)

### [ $4.4 Billion Later: Inside the Broken Machinery of Los Angeles’ Homelessness System](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33163:4-4-billion-later-inside-the-broken-machinery-of-los-angeles-homelessness-system&catid=312)

THE BOTTOM LINE - When Karen Bass became mayor of Los Angeles in December 2022, she declared a state of emergency on ho…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/fd/064h-fdb0b507.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29355:remembering-ken-draper-citywatch-and-transparency-are-his-legacy&catid=12)

### [Remembering Ken Draper: CityWatch and Transparency Are his Legacy](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29355:remembering-ken-draper-citywatch-and-transparency-are-his-legacy&catid=12)

LA WATCHDOG - Ken Draper, the editor and publisher of CityWatch for more than 20 years, passed away on August 8, 2022…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/0f/061a-0f1ada2f.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33148:brace-yourself-for-a-worse-housing-crisis&catid=398)

### [Brace Yourself For A Worse Housing Crisis](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33148:brace-yourself-for-a-worse-housing-crisis&catid=398)

PLANNING WATCH - The California State Legislature will soon vote on the following draft legislation. Please carefully…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/04/063g-04ad33d5.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33173:netanyahus-challengers-are-selling-the-same-poison&catid=332)

### [Netanyahu’s Challengers Are Selling The Same Poison](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33173:netanyahus-challengers-are-selling-the-same-poison&catid=332)

SPEAKING OUT - One would think that after October 7 and the Gaza war that followed, the leaders from the main oppositio…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/19/062f-19a66144.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33162:prolonged-ignorance-of-a-ticking-bomb-does-not-neutralize-it&catid=9)

### [Prolonged Ignorance Of A Ticking Bomb Does Not Neutralize It](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33162:prolonged-ignorance-of-a-ticking-bomb-does-not-neutralize-it&catid=9)

OP/ED - The recent landslide of chemical leaks, fires and extremely dangerous events have proven, without any doubt, th…

---

##  [ NEIGHBORHOOD ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=327)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Aug-2026/063h.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33172:the-john-erickson-interview-a-practical-progressive-for-ca-24&catid=327)### [The John Erickson Interview: A Practical Progressive for District 24](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33172:the-john-erickson-interview-a-practical-progressive-for-ca-24&catid=327)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2026/060l.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33132:venice-homelessness-committee-recommends-vacancy-tax-to-generate-additional-revenue-for-unhoused-solutions&catid=327)### [Venice Homelessness Committee Recommends Vacancy Tax To Generate Additional Revenue For Unhoused Solutions. ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33132:venice-homelessness-committee-recommends-vacancy-tax-to-generate-additional-revenue-for-unhoused-solutions&catid=327)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2026/059k.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33108:when-burbank-cant-tell-you-what-it-spent-that-isnt-preservation-its-a-blank-check&catid=327)### [When Burbank Can’t Tell You What It Spent, That Isn’t Preservation — It’s A Blank Check](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33108:when-burbank-cant-tell-you-what-it-spent-that-isnt-preservation-its-a-blank-check&catid=327)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2026/059e.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33117:judging-the-effectiveness-of-a-neighborhood-council-an-interview-with-venice-community-officer-clark-brown&catid=327)### [Judging The Effectiveness Of A Neighborhood Council. An Interview With Venice Community Officer Clark Brown. ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33117:judging-the-effectiveness-of-a-neighborhood-council-an-interview-with-venice-community-officer-clark-brown&catid=327)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/July-2026/056o.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33054:water-main-break-floods-west-hollywood-streets-underscores-aging-infrastructure-concerns&catid=327)### [Water Main Break Floods West Hollywood Streets, Underscores Aging Infrastructure Concerns](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33054:water-main-break-floods-west-hollywood-streets-underscores-aging-infrastructure-concerns&catid=327)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>