Report Says Parks Misled Investigators and the Public

"Chief Parks is adamant that the department has continuously cooperated with the district attorney's office throughout the Rampart investigation," Eglash said.

However, Eglash determined that the evidence disputed Parks' contention.

"Witnesses who spoke directly with Chief Parks . . . including the California attorney general and his representatives, and the district attorney, consistently report that Chief Parks refused to provide investigative materials to the district attorney's office," Eglash said.

In an interview with the inspector general's office, state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said he told Parks during a telephone conference call with the chief and Garcetti that the LAPD needed to submit investigative materials to the U.S. attorney's office and the district attorney's office simultaneously.

"Chief Parks never stated he would not cooperate with the district attorney's office; however, he continued to respond that he would only provide information to the U.S. attorney's office," Lockyer is paraphrased as saying in Eglash's report.

Eglash concluded that Parks' action "resulted in unnecessary criticism of the district attorney's office, a breakdown in the cooperative working relationship between law enforcement and prosecutors and an undermining of public confidence in the system."

The complete text of the report on Chief Bernard C. Parks can be read on The Times' Web site.

Go to: http://www.latimes.com/rampart