L.A. fire inspector allegedly took bribe

A Los Angeles Fire Department inspector was arrested Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe during a sting operation, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.

Dennis Archie, 58, of Thousands Oaks was booked on suspicion of commercial bribery by detectives, said LAPD Officer Karen Smith.

Police allege that Archie demanded and took a $500 bribe from a board and care facility operator to sign off on a compliance check to allow changes to be made to the facility.

The alleged transaction was being monitored by LAPD detectives as part of a sting orchestrated after authorities learned the veteran fire official was allegedly requesting payments for inspection approvals, officials said.

Ron Myers, a Fire Department spokesman, said the department was aware of the arrest and would be assisting in the investigation. “When the facts become available we will relay them to the public,” Myers said.

“The fire chief considers this a very serious matter.”

Archie’s arrest is one of the first to stem from the work of the Fire Department’s Professional Standards Bureau, the department’s newly formed internal affairs unit.

The unit contacted police to initiate the sting after learning that Archie had allegedly demanded a bribe from the facility’s owner.

Smith said Archie was arrested and taken to the LAPD’s West Valley station, where he was being held in lieu of $20,000 bond. A respected and decorated Fire Department veteran, Archie was promoted from paramedic to fire inspector in 2006.

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richard.winton@latimes.com