An LAPD officer working an overtime shift with the department’s Transit Services Division has been placed on administrative leave after a parked Tesla owner reported missing cash and supervisors reviewed video that appears to show the officer taking money from the vehicle. The officer told superiors he removed the cash, intending to book it into evidence, but he had turned off his body-worn camera before going into the car.
According to the Los Angeles Times, security footage reviewed by supervisors showed the officer entering the Tesla at least twice and rifling through the interior. The Tesla’s owner later went to the station and reported that about $700 was missing, an official briefed on the case said. When confronted, the officer admitted taking the cash but said he planned to log it as evidence. The department has launched an internal investigation and placed the officer on administrative leave.
Body-cam rules and department policy
Per Police Body Worn Cameras: A Policy Scorecard, LAPD policy requires officers to power on their body-worn cameras at the start of calls for service and keep them recording until the event has ended. If there is any interruption, officers must document why. The idea is to make searches, encounters, and evidence collection traceable when questions or complaints surface later.
Department response and what comes next
The Los Angeles Times reports that a watch commander reviewed both the body-camera material that did exist and the security footage, then kicked the case up for an internal probe. The LAPD declined to comment on personnel issues. The officer, who had been working a transit overtime detail with a partner, is now under review as supervisors comb through available video and reports to decide whether administrative discipline or criminal charges are on the table.
For drivers, the case is a blunt reminder not to leave cash sitting in plain sight in parked cars and to hold onto any security footage if money or property disappears. For the LAPD, it is another test of whether body cameras and hands-on supervision are doing their job to catch potential misconduct and maintain public trust while the investigation plays out.
