By TER staff
The Los Angeles Police Department is closing in on the officer or officers it suspects provided an investigative photo of a battered and bruised Rihanna to the website TMZ.com, according to police and other law enforcement sources.
The Enterprise Report has learned that in the last two weeks, two officers have been, "assigned to home," police-speak for being suspended during an investigation, and internal affairs detectives searched the officers' department lockers and home.
One of the two officers - who are both
women - is thought to have completed the photo transaction, the
sources said; the other officer is the room-mate of the primary
suspect. The image of Rihanna became public
after R&B singer Chris Brown was arrested for beating and
threatening her the night before the Grammy Awards. Brown has since
pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 5 years felony probation and
180 days of labor assignments. Brown appeared on CNN's 'Larry King Live' program last week to talk about the case. The officer could face consequences
ranging from department discipline to a possible criminal charge for
identifying the victim of a domestic violence case (a specific crime
in California).
Outgoing LAPD Chief William Bratton vowed to track down the officer who leaked the photo, and threatened to take action against TMZ or any one else involved in making the photo public.
