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Shoplifting Traffic Cop Fired, May Have Picked Up Hooker in His City Car
Photo by Lord Jim via the LAist Featured Photos pool
The ranks of Los Angeles' parking enforcement officers is another man down as of last month due to some alleged shady doings. The latest to lose his job is Donald Brooks, who was fired August 16th for two petty theft charges and allegedly soliciting a prostitute.
He had been arrested in L.A. and Hawthorne and detained in Inglewood; Brooks had been with the Department of Transportation since October 2008.
The solicitation of a prostitute incident took place in Inglewood, and Brooks was in his city vehicle at the time. He was detained, but not booked for a crime, however the incident opened a disciplinary process that ultimately found him only guilty of being in his city vehicle for being in another jurisdiction.
However, last November, Brooks was found in uniform with some shirts he'd shoplifted from Macy's at the Westside Pavilion. Still, he kept his job.
In January of this year, Brooks was found, in uniform in Hawthorne with almost $40 worth of stolen groceries. He has not been arraigned yet in that case.
Brooks is the most recent LADOT officer to find himself in some disciplinary hot water. In July, two other ticket-writing officers faced consequences for their workplace shenanigans. One, John Dancler, was fired for taking part in an adult film while on the job, and another, Vaughn Dorsey, was disciplined for his role in the video.
A spokesman for the LADOT said he doesn't think the Department is overrun with naughty ticket-writers.
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