But no personal information on the 168 senior officers in the unit's 18 divisions will be on the Net, he said. He added that photographs of the already high-visibility officers can be found both off and on the Internet because their pictures are often published by the news media. We are looking at a balance between the officers' privacy rights and the public's concern and right to know their neighborhood cop. The dispute is believed to be the first of its kind. The Internet is highly unregulated, and we know a lot of crime is being committed on it because it is highly anonymous.
Some officers believe they'll be jeopardizing safety.
The brass felt the issue was trivial, that officers had no right to refuse. All the parties plan to meet again before the LAPD's Web site launch date to see whether an agreement on the issue can be reached. Hernandez said the union was not afraid to file suit to halt posting of officers' photographs. Hernandez said that he has no dispute with putting pictures of officers who, for example, win the medal of valor, because they give their consent. But just as no undercover officers would have their pictures posted, those who have concerns also should have their wishes respected.