City Building Inspector Arrested in Bribery Case

A Los Angeles city building inspector responsible for residential properties in part of the west San Fernando Valley was arrested in a police sting operation on suspicion of soliciting a bribe, authorities said Thursday.

The inspector, Bradley Andrews, had been suspected previously of soliciting a bribe, but authorities failed to prove the allegation in that instance, officials said.

Acting on a tip this time, however, Los Angeles Police Department bunco/forgery detectives conducted a sting in the West Valley on May 9 and caught Andrews in the process of soliciting a $1,000 bribe, police and other sources said. No formal charges have been filed.

Andrews, who works out of a satellite office of the Department of Building and Safety in Reseda, was placed on administrative leave with pay after his arrest but returned to a desk job this week with limited duties, said Dave Keim, a department spokesman.

Andrews could not be reached for comment Thursday.

After the first bribery allegations, department officials took no disciplinary action against Andrews, who was allowed to return to his regular duties because no charges were filed against him, Keim said.

Although the department’s officials said they take any allegations of impropriety against their employees seriously, other city officials questioned their handling of Andrews’ case.

“If we ever have city employees in any department who commit any wrongdoing, I want it to be exposed and I want the proper actions to be taken--and that includes law enforcement and how the city deals with its employees,” said City Councilwoman Laura Chick, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, which oversees building and safety. “I want to take a look at this and ask questions about how the department dealt with this employee in the first case.”

Chick said she had not been notified of the arrest until Thursday.

Said Richard Holguin, executive officer of the Department of Building and Safety, who handles personnel issues: “Any time you have a large organization, you’re going to have a few people not following procedures.”

But Holguin said the department took this case seriously and cooperated with police, who informed building and safety officials several days before the sting.

LAPD detectives who conducted the sting declined to comment, referring calls to the Department of Building and Safety.

Andrews has worked in residential inspections for the last several years. He has been responsible for a section of Reseda and oversees new single-family home construction and complaints about that type of residence.

The department has 350 to 400 residential inspectors throughout the city. Officials said Andrews’ case was not the first of its kind in the department but said the number was not immediately available.

“Over the years, we’ve had a few,” Holguin said.