In a move that echoes growing concerns over ethical violations within the LAPD, the department has initiated proceedings to terminate Senior Captain Alejandro "Alex" Vargas following an undisclosed romantic affair with a civilian 911 dispatcher, an investigation by the Los Angeles Times points to Vargas lying to internal affairs detectives and attempting to thwart witness cooperation. Vargas, a veteran at the helm of the Van Nuys Division, concealed the liaison and is now on home assignment pending a board of rights hearing, which calls for testimonial and evidence presentation according to the city charter, in circumstances where an officer could be dismissed based on their conduct.
The dispatcher, whose employment was cut without recourse to a hearing, though she holds the right to contest her termination, adds to a troubling trend of higher-ups in the LAPD caught amidst relationship scandals, a detail reported by the L.A. Times. Vargas's own deceit was only the beginning, it's said he kissed the civilian while on duty and failed to report the involvement as mandated by the department's rules, triggering an internal affairs investigation that employed tactical surveillance techniques including pinging his city-issued cellphone which is a digital irony not lost, considering Vargas once oversaw the covert unit assigned to shadow officers under misconduct suspicion.
Prompted by an article from The Los Angeles Times, the department's spokesperson has decreed they won't discuss personnel matters publicly, leaving the city in a ponderous silence. This incident parallels last year's demotion of former Assistant Chief Alfred "Al" Labrada, who was recommended for termination following an investigation into his alleged use of a tracking device on a female officer he was involved with, a case highlighted by KTLA.
Vargas, faced with potentially career-ending allegations, may opt for retirement over confrontation in a board of rights, this amidst a climate where another senior male officer, also implicated in a sexually charged policy breach exited the force—and where transparency battles shadows, whispers of integrity unsung fall on a populace long fatigued by scandal and thirsting after accountability, the city watches, hints of cynicism underlying the watchful eyes of Angelenos well-acquainted with the tarnish on the badge's sheen.
