LAPD officer arrested on child pornography charges

A veteran Los Angeles police officer was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possessing child pornography and distributing obscene images of a minor, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

Officer James Diamond, 52, a 25-year veteran of the LAPD most recently assigned to the department’s personnel division, has had his police powers suspended, an LAPD spokesman said. An internal LAPD investigation has also been launched.

Diamond could not be reached Wednesday, and it was unclear if he had retained counsel.

Long Beach police said detectives first launched their investigation in October, after the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about materials showing child sex abuse being distributed online.

Detectives were then able to identify Diamond as the suspect and “develop probable cause for an arrest,” Long Beach police said.

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Diamond was arrested on Wednesday in Huntington Beach, and warrants were subsequently served at his Long Beach home and at the LAPD, Long Beach police said.

Capt. Stacy Spell, the LAPD spokesman, said the LAPD is cooperating with and supportive of the Long Beach investigation.

Long Beach police said Diamond was booked on two felony possession counts and two felony distribution counts. His bail was set at $100,000, police said.