The union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers, detectives, sergeants and lieutenants sued one of the agency's commanders Wednesday, alleging she used bogus online credentials to access confidential emails, communications and surveys distributed by the union to its members.
In at least one instance, the Los Angeles Police Protective League alleges that Cmdr. Lillian Carranza -- who is reportedly among about 10 contenders to become the LAPD's next chief -- successfully accessed and completed a survey that was intended for union members, while falsely claiming she was a lieutenant.
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Carranza, who leads the LAPD's Central Bureau, did not immediately respond to voicemail and email messages left by City News Service. Her attorneys from a previous, unrelated case in which Carranza sued the city also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Between 2016 and 2024, Carranza opened approximately 49 of the 141 confidential emails sent by the LAPPL to its members, emails that Carranza knew she was not authorized to receive or view, and knew that but for her falsification of credentials and identity, she would not have received," according to the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges unlawful computer data access and fraud.
The union uses three online platforms to administer surveys. The union does not represent LAPD's high-ranking officers, such as Carranza, who was promoted to captain in 2012 and later to commander.
According to the union, Carranza in January 2023 managed to successfully complete an online form titled "LAPPL MOU Survey 2023." The survey was intended as a means for LAPPL to collect feedback from its members regarding labor contracts with the city, union officials contend.
Carranza completed the survey, stating her rank was that of a lieutenant, a rank she had not held for more than 10 years, according to the lawsuit.
The suit further alleges that, in July, Carranza tried to access and complete another online form titled "2024 LAPPL Captain Assessment and Organizational Morale Survey." According to the union, that survey was designed to capture union members' concerns and anonymous evaluations or assessments of captains in the department.
"We believe that Cmdr. Carranza's fraud was motivated by an effort to discredit our captain assessment survey's results by claiming that security precautions were not in place that would have prevented non-LAPPL members from taking the survey. She was sadly mistaken and she should be held accountable for her unlawful act," Craig Lally, president of the LAPPL, said in a statement to City News Service.
According to the LAPPL, the union relies on the surveys to develop accurate information from its members that is then used in collective bargaining and assists in the representation of its members.
"As a result of Carranza's subversion of the survey process, LAPPL has suffered direct damages, calling into question the results of the surveys and collective bargaining decisions taken based on those results," the lawsuit states. "In addition, LAPPL has had to expend significant funds and monies to investigate the intrusion and ensure and enhance the security of its member communications."
Robert Rico, general counsel for LAAPL, told City News Service that the union hired Sourced Intelligence, which specializes in computer forensics, to investigate whether a non-member accessed the union's emails and surveys. The investigation identified Carranza as the individual who received and participated in the union's surveys, Rico said.
"This lawsuit is absolutely not about money," Rico told City News Service. "This lawsuit is about having her cease and desist from access or attempting to access our communications. She's potentially undermined the trust with our members, our emails, and so this is ... about her accepting responsibility."
The Los Angeles Times last month reported that, after an initial round of interviews, the number of contenders to be the next LAPD chief has been whittled down to about 10 -- with Carranza's name on that list. The list is divided into LAPD veterans and outsiders.
In response to the Times' report, the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners issued a one-paragraph statement saying that any "purported list of finalists" was "premature, unofficial and unconfirmed."
In June 2022, a jury awarded Carranza $4 million after she sued the city in connection with the distribution within the department of a photo of a nude woman that some officers falsely said was her image. The city is appealing the jury verdict.
In addition, Carranza was mentioned -- but not named as a defendant -- in another lawsuit against the city, filed in December 2023 by Detective Cecilia Cleveland. That L.A. Superior Court suit alleged that Cleveland was harassed and treated in a disparate manner while working under the supervision of Carranza in the Gang and Narcotics Division. In June, a notice of settlement was filed in that case, with no terms divulged.
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