A response has been given by former City Councilman and Police Chief Bernard Parks regarding an ethics complaint accusing him of misusing the city seal and his Los Angeles Police Department badge on a letter sent to the judge overseeing Mark Ridley-Thomas’ corruption case. Parks claims that he simply copied an identification badge provided to him by the city upon his retirement.
In a letter obtained by City News Service and sent to the City Clerk’s Office, Parks explains that when he retired from the LAPD in 2002, he was given an identification card that featured both the chief of police badge and the city seal.
“I did not actively seek this identification card, nor was it a special privilege, as it is given to all officers who retire from the department with honor,” wrote Parks.
Parks emphasized the importance of the identification card stating, “This particular identification card holds significance as it allows me to legally carry a firearm. However, its main purpose is to identify me as both a retired member of the LAPD, through the badge, and as a retired member of the City of Los Angeles government, through the City Seal.”
He further expressed that through the issuance of the card, whether consciously or not, he became a lifetime member of both the LAPD and the City Family, as that is how both entities identify him.
Parks defended his use of the letterhead in his correspondence with a federal judge, stating, “When writing to a federal judge, it would be highly unusual for a former public official to omit important identification information.”
Parks urged the City Clerk’s Office to provide clarity on the rules regarding the use of the city seal, as well as a legal opinion from the city attorney’s office on the matter.
The City Clerk’s Office has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Last week, Acting City Clerk Petty F. Santos sent a letter to Parks informing him of the ethics complaint and requesting him to cease the improper use of the city seal.
Parks had written a letter to the federal judge overseeing Ridley-Thomas’ corruption case, urging her to impose the maximum penalty. Ultimately, Ridley-Thomas was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for voting in favor of county contracts that benefitted USC while accepting benefits for his son from the university.
Parks previously ran against Ridley-Thomas in the 2008 county supervisor race.
The letter to U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer included images of the city seal and Parks’ LAPD chief’s badge at the top of the page.
Santos’ letter, obtained by City News Service, states that the complaint was referred to the City Attorney’s Office for investigation under the “City Seal-Imitating” section of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, which prohibits the use of the city seal for purposes other than those related to the city.
The communication from the clerk’s office to Parks explains that his use of the city seal in the letter to the judge “does not align with a city purpose, as defined by the LAMC. The City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department retain all rights associated with their trademarks and trade dress.”
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