In a scant statement, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) posted two lonely sentences acknowledging an incident which raises uncomfortable questions about abuse of power and trust within law enforcement institutions. Assistant Chief Al Labrada is allegedly under internal investigation after a female LAPD officer, with whom he was said to be romantically involved, accused him of using at least one Apple AirTag to track her movements, according to anonymous sources cited in the Los Angeles Times.
Assistant Chief Labrada's city phone was reportedly confiscated after a police report was filed in Ontario within the past week. The female officer claimed that she discovered an AirTag in some of her possessions, in the same Los Angeles Times reporting. While Labrada did not comment regarding this issue, his attorney, Jeremy Tissot, released a statement categorically denying all allegations and asserting that they are "completely false." Tissot added, "We expect him to be fully vindicated of these allegations, and he is considering all potential legal remedies by and through my office, against responsible parties in relation to these false and defamatory allegations."
Apple introduced AirTags in 2021 as devices intended to help people track and recover lost personal items. However, concerns were raised by advocates for victims of domestic violence, who warned that these devices could also be misused to monitor someone without their consent. The fact that a high-ranking police officer is now being investigated for such uses serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers of new technology falling into the wrong hands.
In recent years, the LAPD has dealt with numerous scandals involving inappropriate relationships between high-ranking officials and subordinates, such as the case of Assistant Chief Jorge Villegas, who retired abruptly in 2019 after a surveillance unit caught him engaged in alleged undue sexual conduct, widely reported, including here on KTLA. The female officer in Labrada's case reportedly suspected he left the AirTag in her possessions due to the fact that he was the only one with access to them, according to MyNewsLA.
Assistant Chief Al Labrada, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War with six years of experience in the US Marine Corps Reserve, currently serves as the Director for the Office of Special Operations, overseeing the Counterterrorism and Special Operations Bureau, Detective Bureau, and Transit Bureau, as noted on his LinkedIn profile. The LAPD's spokesperson, Capt. Kelly Muniz, confirmed the internal affairs case into the "crime report involving the actions of AC Labrada," but declined to comment further. As reported by the LAPD Newsroom, Labrada will continue to perform his duties as the Director of the Office of Special Operations.
