LAPD Officer Daniel Flores Charged with 16 Felonies for Recording Racist, Sexist Remarks

Los Angeles Police Department officer Daniel Flores, 43, secretly recorded colleagues making racist, sexist and homophobic comments and submitted more than 120 audio files to the department’s Internal Affairs unit. Prosecutors in Los Angeles County have charged Flores with 16 felony counts of eavesdropping on or recording confidential communications, a crime that carries up to 13 years in state prison. The Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the recordings violated California law and warned that “anyone seeking to record a conversation without the other person's permission” could be prosecuted. Flores’ attorney Alan Jackson argues the officer turned the recordings over to Internal Affairs in good faith, seeking departmental action on the alleged bigotry, and contends the charges punish whistle‑blowing. Flores is scheduled for arraignment on Aug. 10. The case has drawn attention to ongoing concerns about police culture and the treatment of officers who report misconduct within the LAPD.