Hundreds of LA-area cases imperiled by police officer texts

TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — An investigation by the Los Angeles Times has found that hundreds of Southern California criminal cases could be jeopardized after more than a dozen police officers exchanged racist and homophobic text messages. The officers are current and former members and recruits of the Torrance Police Department in Los Angeles County. They traded hateful comments about people of color, particularly Black people, as well as Jews and members of the LGBTQ community. Other messages spoke about using violence against suspects and lying to investigators about a police shooting. The newspaper’s story prompted the state attorney general to announce an independent probe of the Torrance Police Department.