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LAPD Cadet Program Suspended At Stations Where Teens Stole Police Cruisers
Last week, we reported that the two police cruisers involved in a pursuit and separate collisions Wednesday night were stolen by teenage cadets impersonating police officers. In response, the Los Angeles Police Department has suspended the cadet programs at the 77th Street Division and Pacific Division, the stations where the teenagers were training, according to the L.A. Times.
The suspension is in effect pending the outcome of the investigation. Last week, Chief Charlie Beck announced a "a top-to-bottom review of our cadet program," which trains approximately 2,300 cadets. The police officers at the suspended divisions will "meet one on one with every cadet" and meet the parents of the cadets in order to reiterate the seriousness of the situation, according to the L.A. Times. The investigation will seek information about whether any other cadets were involved in the thefts.
According to police, one of the cruisers was reported missing at the end of May. At least one of the vehicles was driven over 1,000 miles since its theft, based on odometer readings. The department is unsure whether the cadets stole the cars once or multiple times without detection. Police Chief Charlie Beck said that the suspects were ages 15, 16, and 17.
A physical inventory and investigation into how the LAPD tracks its cars are both in place following the oversight that allowed for the thefts to occur.
LAPD is not currently commenting on the matter at this time.
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