LAPD Assistant Chief Accused Of Inappropriate Sexual Conduct

LAPD Assistant Chief Accused Of Inappropriate Sexual Conduct Before Retirement

Prior to his sudden retirement just last week, one of the top-ranking officials of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has been accused of displaying an inappropriate sexual conduct with several officers under his command. The claim levied against Jorge Villegas the 29-year old assistant chief has been referred to the internal affairs department or unit of the LAPD for proper investigation. This has been revealed by over three law enforcement officials with concrete knowledge of the situation. The officials although pleaded anonymous as they were not supposed to discuss it with the press. The LAPD has not determined the authenticity of this claim. While Jorge Villegas has not been able to be contacted, it is still not clear if the retirement was in any way related to the claims.  The official, Assistant Chief Jorge Villegas, retired suddenly after the surveillance operation caught him engaging in conduct that sources said may have violated the department’s policy against sexual relationships with lower-ranking officers and also may have ran afoul of a criminal statute prohibiting lewd conduct in public places.  Undercover officers tailing a high-ranking Los Angeles Police Department official witnessed him apparently engaging in sexual activity in a parking lot with a female subordinate, sources with knowledge of the investigation said. Spokesperson of the LAPD, Josh Rubenstein has stated that earlier on, Jorge Villegas has made his intentions of retiring very clear and that the law of the state does not give him the authority to speak about personal matters. The LAPD police chief Michel Moore has also refused to comment on this claim that has been levied on his assistant. Although he refused to give further details about the allegation, Steve Soboroff the President of the Civilian Police Commission (CPC) in the State of California, claimed to have received a letter earlier this month. According to Soboroff, this anonymous letter accused Jorge Villegas of sexual harassment. Soboroff further revealed that on October 23rd, they received the notice that Jorge Villegas was stepping down as assistant chief. Mark .P. Smith the Inspector General of the LAPD, stated that he does not know if other Commissioners had received the letter. Most of the officers in the department although pleaded anonymity revealed that the sort of claims found in the acclaimed letter was termed “older in its nature”. In 2009, Jorge Villegas had filed for divorce but the divorce was never finalized as reported by the court. The court reveals that the filed case did not mention any improprieties or inappropriate conduct that was displayed by Villegas. Currently, they are still married. Some of the other LAPD officials had revealed that prior to his retirement, he informed a senior police official that he was leaving to work on a family business. Others have revealed that Villegas has been a friend of Moore for a long time and that he has been acknowledged for making use of new technologies to not only improve the department’s efficiency but also to reduce waste. According to his biography in the department, Jorge Villegas has shown outstanding spirit and has been involved in certain meaningful activities. Also, Jorge Villegas was among the semi-finalists in the country’s search to become the Chief of the Seattle Police Department. Jorge Villegas who applied to DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Plan) stood in a position to gain over $1 million in addition to pension funds. Villegas’ retirement meant that he would have to lose half of that money.