Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck Statement on Filing of Charges Against School Police Officer NR11108kr

Los Angeles:  On February 9, 2011, Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery Homicide Division (RHD) presented a criminal case against Los Angeles Unified School District Police Officer Jeff Stenroos, to the Justice System Integrity Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.  Today, Stenroos was charged with multiple felonies, including perjury and filing a false insurance claim.  
 
RHD conducted an extensive investigation into the January 19, 2011 shooting incident involving Stenroos, including an all out search for a reported burglary suspect that Officer Stenroos alleged had attempted to murder him as he patrolled near El Camino High School in the San Fernando Valley. The subsequent investigation led RHD Detectives to determine that Stenroos had concocted the entire story and created evidence to support his lie.  

“Today’s filing of four felony counts, including preparing a false police report, preparing false evidence, and one misdemeanor of falsely reporting an emergency, validates the results of the investigation done by RHD Detectives,” said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.  “The actions of Officer Stenroos put into motion a series of events that wasted valuable Department resources, negatively impacted thousands of school children and their families, and disrupted the lives of a countless number of people who were inconvenienced by the perimeter set up to catch a suspect who never existed.  Officer Stenroos deserves no leniency and the charges he now faces are more than appropriate after what he put this city through.”

After his arrest and booking Stenroos posted a $20,000 bail and has since been free on bond.  He is scheduled to be arraigned March 23, 2011 at Van Nuys Superior Court, Department 100.   If convicted on all charges, Stenroos could be sentenced to up to five years in state prison.