Officer Allegedly Snooped in Database
A Los Angeles police sergeant has been suspended for allegedly tapping into confidential police databases on behalf of Anthony Pellicano, a Hollywood private investigator who has worked for some of the biggest names in show business, law enforcement sources said.
FBI agents and Los Angeles Police Department investigators who served search warrants on Pellicano obtained records that led to Sgt. Mark Arneson, a 29-year veteran of the force. Financial records obtained by investigators had indicated that the sergeant had a source of income besides his LAPD salary, according to sources.
L.A. Police Chief William J. Bratton said Tuesday that Arneson is the subject of a joint LAPD-FBI probe and "has been placed on inactive duty," during which he is assigned to his home and is allowed to collect his pay unless he is charged administratively or criminally. Bratton said the department had taken Arneson's gun, badge and police identification.
Federal and state laws, as well as LAPD regulations, allow officers to use the database computers only for official business. Each time an LAPD user logs on, a warning states that unauthorized use can result in criminal prosecution. Unauthorized use can also bring job discipline ranging from a reprimand to dismissal.
Police sources said FBI and LAPD investigators had checked the 50-year-old Arneson's department computer logs. The logs demonstrated a pattern of connections with people the 59-year-old Pellicano was investigating, law enforcement sources said. Among the systems Arneson accessed was the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, which contains records of arrests and convictions, sources said.
The logs indicated that Arneson had accessed personal information about Anita Busch, a Los Angeles Times reporter who was investigating actor Steven Seagal and his ties to an alleged Mafia associate. The records Arneson had access to included Busch's driver's license, car registration and driving record, police sources said.
Pellicano has been under investigation for alleged involvement in an effort to threaten Busch.
That probe began with the arrest of Alexander Proctor, an ex-convict now charged in state court with having made a criminal threat against Busch. Proctor, 59, allegedly placed a dead fish, a rose and a note saying "Stop" on Busch's car last June 20.
