LAPD Officers Benched Over Rihanna Photo Leak

Two female cops "assigned to home" as department's investigation into leaked police photo continues; no criminal charges have yet been filed

By Gina Serpe Sep 11, 2009 6:39 PMTags
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Publicizing a crime may not have paid—in the long term, anyway—for a pair of Los Angeles police officers.

Two female members of the LAPD have reportedly been placed on paid leave as part of the ongoing (yet seemingly slow-moving) investigation into the leaking of a should-have-been-confidential police photo of Rihanna in the aftermath of her beating by Chris Brown.

Former housemates Rebecca M. Reyes, a nine-year vet of the force, and rookie cop Blanca Lopez have both been "assigned to home" while the investigation plays out.

"It's a pending investigation," an LAPD spokesman told E! News. "We can't comment on that right now."

One of the officers' attorneys was slightly more forthcoming.

"My client did not do anything for financial gain," Reyes' attorney, Ira Salzman, told the Los Angeles Times. "She did not sell the photo."

Salzman said that department officials had not filed any charges against Reyes, but he opted not to comment on whether Reyes took the photo of Rihanna, which surfaced on TMZ two weeks after the February attack, or if she at any time was in possession of it.

In addition to being a gross invasion of privacy, profiting by leaking confidential material is also a misdemeanor. Additional criminal charges could also be faced for revealing the identity of a domestic violence victim.

Meanwhile, Rihanna attorney Donald Etra tells E! News, "Rihanna has nothing but praise for the LAPD. Throughout this investigation, they have treated her with the utmost dignity and respect."

—Additional reporting by Whitney English and Lindsay Miller

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