According to Perez, he and his colleagues engaged in evidence planting, false arrests, witness intimidation, beatings, theft, drug dealing and perjury. Rampart cops dropped gang members out of windows and used them as human battering rams. They set up bachelor pad apartments where they had sex parties with hookers, drug dealers and informants. Perhaps the most chilling admission by Perez was that he and his partner shot an unarmed gang member, paralyzing him for life, and then framed him for assault. So far, 30 officers have been suspended or fired in the ongoing Rampart probe and 40 more are under investigation.

The D.A.'s office, which is preparing criminal indictments, is also reviewing hundreds of cases possibly tainted by Rampart officers' false testimony. So far, more than 100 cases have been overturned and more are likely to follow. City officials are bracing for a wave of lawsuits that some say could bankrupt the city. Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department has forced the LAPD into a consent decree that cedes departmental oversight to the federal government.

And the shocking revelations keep coming. Recently, the Los Angeles Times reported that one of Perez's ex-girlfriends claims she saw Perez and David Mack murder two people at the Rampart cops' crash pad. She also claims she witnessed "a major cocaine transaction" between the two cops. Investigators from a joint FBI/LAPD corruption task force told the Times "there is some corroboration." Perez's credibility, which has already been seriously undermined by other witnesses, could be totally destroyed if these allegations prove to be true.

Throughout the fall of 1999, Detective Poole watched as daily headlines verified what he had told Chief Parks a year earlier. Worse yet, he watched as Parks took credit for "exposing" the Rampart mess -- a scandal that in fact might never have been revealed if Perez had simply kept his mouth shut and done his time. Poole also decided he couldn't remain silent. If he did, wouldn't he be part of the coverup?

Poole has a box of documents to back up his story, but the credibility of his allegations against Parks and the LAPD's brass comes down to his reputation. Testimony from his colleagues and numerous citations in his file point to a stellar police career. One of the Robbery/Homicide Division's elite, Poole was regarded by his peers as one of the LAPD's best detectives.

The son of a 27-year L.A. County sheriff, Poole never wanted to do anything but be a cop. He joined the LAPD in 1981 and became a detective trainee three years later. Before being picked for RHD in 1996, he spent nine and a half years as a homicide investigator at South Bureau and Wilshire Division. He served as primary investigator on 135 murder cases (taking a case all the way through trial), and assisted on 500 more.

Poole took on some of L.A.'s highest profile homicides, including the murder of Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, and Bill Cosby's son Ennis. He was evidence coordinator for the 1997 police firefight with the heavily armed robbers of the North Hollywood Bank of America, the largest crime scene in the history of the LAPD, an entire square mile. One LAPD evaluation report described Poole as "truly a crime scene expert" and cited his "motivation, dedication, investigative capabilities and crime scene expertise" in the solving of "several complicated murders" that "would have surely remained unsolved without Detective Poole's efforts."

The evaluations in his file are filled with glowing praise: "courteous," "professional," "a definite asset to the department," "sincerely cares," "sympathetic and extraordinary in dealing with victims," "excellent interviewer and interrogator," "hard working," "loyal, productive, thorough and reliable," "first rate," "diligent," "goes that extra mile," "exemplary dedication to duty," "compassionate." One squad leader concluded: "You can only hope that everyone assigned to your squad will be of the caliber and character of Officer Poole."

Lt. Sergio Robleto, now retired, was Poole's supervisor at South Bureau Homicide. Sixty-five detectives at his division handled as many as 429 homicides in one year -- three times the workload of other divisions. Robleto describes Poole as "honest, hardworking, thorough, caring, one of the best." He laughs at the notion that Poole might be mistaken in his recollection of his discussions with Chief Parks and other LAPD officials about the Rampart case. "Everything he does he writes down," says Robleto. "You're not going to catch him lying!"

Robleto says he reviewed hundreds of murder investigations at South Bureau Homicide, dozens of which were handled by Poole. "Sometimes you get a bad feeling that somebody might be stretching it or something like that. Not with Russ," says Poole's former supervisor. "He never did that. I never found anything wrong with any of his investigations."

"The department lost one of their best when Russell Poole resigned," concludes Robleto.

Allan Walsh, a former Los Angeles deputy district attorney who worked with Poole on a number of murder cases, is even more effusive: "Russell Poole is one of the most talented and skilled investigators, most honest and forthright detectives I have ever known. During my career, I had contact with every single big-time LAPD homicide detective. He was the best -- from dealing with victims to handling witnesses to following up leads. There isn't anybody whose honesty, character and principles I would vouch for more than Russell Poole."

Deputy D.A. George Castello, who also worked on murder cases with Poole, concurs. "He was one of the best detectives I've come across. He got to the bottom of an investigation, followed through and put a solid case together. He's a guy you could really count on -- a solid, level-headed detective who does not exaggerate, who is extremely credible."

Since leaving the LAPD, Poole has lost the friendship and support of most of his fellow cops, who are unaware of the circumstances behind his unexpected resignation. Now 44, married with three kids and happily engaged in a new career, he initially felt he had put everything behind him by resigning from the department. But as the Rampart scandal continues to unfold, he believes he has one final duty to perform for his department: He has to get his story on the record.

Poole is the only Rampart investigator to go public with his account of how the LAPD handled the probe. Throughout his tour with the Rampart task force, he charges, his superiors refused to investigate dirty cops, even when obvious clues pointed to them. What happened when he tried to investigate cops at Rampart Division, Poole says, was typical of the way the LAPD handles complaints against cops.

Critics have long decried how Chief Parks manipulates his department's disciplinary process to keep its dirty laundry hidden. Parks once ran the LAPD's Internal Affairs Division, so he knows the drill well. IAD investigators have a pattern of taking "compelled statements" from cops suspected of corruption, in which they are forced to answer IAD questions or lose their jobs. Cops can be fired for what they reveal, but they can't be prosecuted, because their statements to the IAD cannot be used in criminal proceedings.

Parks has fired more than 100 officers since he became chief, most for offenses unrelated to Rampart. Sources say many of these cops were guilty of crimes or had criminal associations the public will never know about because they were never brought to trial. In effect, the process allows the chief to sweep his dirt out the back door without anybody knowing about it.

"The D.A. does not file charges against officers because the department doesn't give them all the information," Poole says. "Internal Affairs files enough to get a person fired, but then the D.A. doesn't have enough to go after him because they used compelled statements. And the department knows that."

Because he immediately realized the Jimenez beating was a criminal case -- "assault under the color of authority" -- Poole says, "I didn't use compelled statements. I read people their rights. Their attorneys were shocked: 'Aren't you going to compel my client to answer?' they'd ask. 'No.' I interviewed and taped people and put together a solid criminal case, with everything documented. When I turned in the report it was too revealing."

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