Long Beach Police Department (California) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
LOS ANGELES – A former Long Beach police officer pleaded guilty today to sex crimes involving minor girls and was immediately sentenced to 11 years and eight months in state prison.
Deputy District Attorney Natalie Adomian of the Justice System Integrity Division said Noe Yanez, 40, pleaded guilty to six counts during a preliminary hearing of the evidence against him. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen, who was conducting the preliminary hearing, also ordered that Yanez register as a sex offender.
The former officer, who was fired by the Long Beach Police Department last June, pleaded to felony crimes that spanned 2008 until shortly before he was charged in May 2012.
Adomian said Yanez pleaded guilty to one count each of forcible rape, meeting a minor for lewd purposes, using a minor for sex acts, possession of child pornography and two counts of false imprisonment by fraud of deceit. Five victims were involved.
Yanez, who had been with the Long Beach Police Department for nine years, originally was arrested on April 19, 2012, then rearrested on May 9 after a felony complaint for arrest warrant was filed by the District Attorney’s Office. He was suspended without pay, then his employment was terminated in June 2012.
The Long Beach Police Department investigated the case.
According to the Cato Institute (figure 10 in below link), the per capita frequency rate for cops raping someone is 3 times greater than the per capita frequency rate of the general public. The rates for murder and assault are also higher.
http://www.policemisconduct.net/statistics/2010-annual-report/#_Geographic_Distribution
They further state, “While the rate of police officers officially charged with murder is only 1.06% higher than the current general population murder rate, if excessive force complaints involving fatalities were prosecuted as murder the murder rate for law enforcement officers would exceed the general population murder rate by 472%.”
Police offiicers receive preferential treatment if charged with a crime. According to the Cato Institute:
“Prosecuting police misconduct in the US is very problematic with conviction rates, incarceration rates, and the amount of time law enforcement officers spend behind bars for criminal misconduct are all far lower than what happens when ordinary citizens face criminal charges.”
“detailed analysis we performed on 2009 and 2010 data earlier this year, demonstrates a bias built into the justice system which continues to limit prosecutorial effectiveness against law enforcement officers charged with criminal wrongdoing.”
The conviction rate for members of the general public who were tried on criminal charges was 68%. The conviction rate for cops charged with a crime was 33%.
Of those convicted of criminal charges, 70% of the general public whent to jail for an average of 49 months. Meanwhile, only 36% of convicted cops went to jail for an average of 35 months.
http://www.policemisconduct.net/statistics/2010-annual-report/#_Geographic_Distribution