--- title: "Nathan Hochman reduces felony charges against LAPD officer Daniel Flores over racist recordings" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/nathan-hochman-reduces-felony-charges-against-lapd-officer-daniel-flores-over-ra" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/nathan-hochman-reduces-felony-charges-against-lapd-officer-daniel-flores-over-ra" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/nathan-hochman-reduces-felony-charges-against-lapd-officer-daniel-flores-over-ra.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/nathan-hochman-reduces-felony-charges-against-lapd-officer-daniel-flores-over-ra" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-19T21:46:08.346Z" source_reported: "2026-08-19T19:56:41.000Z" updated: "2026-08-19T22:15:16.967Z" trust_score: 70 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-19T22:45:11.711010+00:00" --- # Nathan Hochman reduces felony charges against LAPD officer Daniel Flores over racist recordings *Prosecutors downgraded 16 charges to misdemeanours after criticism the case could deter whistleblowers* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 70 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports corroborate key facts; 12 digests agree on central claim. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Quotes and specifics in full reports; digests lack depth. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Headlines are measured; no sensationalism in body text. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman reduced 16 felony charges against LAPD Officer Daniel Flores to misdemeanours on 19 August 2026. - Flores recorded colleagues making racist and sexist remarks in 2025 and shared the recordings with LAPD internal affairs. - Hochman said the original charges sent the wrong message to potential whistleblowers, though he maintained Flores broke the law. - The officers recorded were not criminally charged, as prosecutors found insufficient evidence of hate crimes. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman reduced 16 felony charges against LAPD Officer Daniel Flores to misdemeanours on 19 August 2026. Flores had been charged in July 2026 for secretly recording colleagues in the LAPD recruitment division making racist and sexist remarks. The recordings, which included racist tropes and derogatory comments about a recruit, were shared with LAPD internal affairs in early 2025. The original charges carried a potential 13-year prison sentence. Hochman said the decision to reduce them followed criticism that prosecuting Flores could deter whistleblowers from coming forward. He stated the felony charges had sent the wrong message to the public. Flores will now enter a diversion agreement, avoiding jail time if he complies with the terms for one year. Hochman condemned the remarks made by the recorded officers as hate speech but said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them for hate crimes. The officers faced confidential disciplinary hearings within the LAPD, though the department has not disclosed whether any were disciplined. Flores was separately found guilty in an internal LAPD investigation and received a 22-day suspension without pay. The seven left-rated digests and reports led on the backlash against the original charges, framing the reduction as a response to concerns that prosecuting Flores could deter whistleblowers. The Associated Press and CTV News reported Hochman’s statement that the felony charges sent the wrong message. The Los Angeles Times and Lodinews.com included the detail that Flores recorded racist, sexist and homophobic remarks. None of the left-rated digests omitted the fact that Hochman maintained Flores broke the law. The six centre-rated digests focused on the legal reasoning behind the charge reduction. The Lawton Constitution and Winnipeg Free Press carried Hochman’s statement that the decision aimed to balance deterring criminal conduct with encouraging whistleblowers to use legal channels. The Daily Breeze and LA Daily News quoted Hochman’s phrase that he wanted to be crystal clear the charges were meant to incentivise legal means of gathering information. None of the centre-rated digests omitted the fact that Flores faced a potential 13-year sentence under the original charges. The single right-rated digest, from the Marietta Daily Journal, led on the reduction of charges and the backlash over the potential deterrent effect on whistleblowers. It did not include Hochman’s statement that Flores broke the law or the detail that the recorded officers were not criminally charged. None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Hochman said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the recorded officers for hate crimes. The centre-rated digests from the Daily Breeze and LA Daily News did not include the specific examples of racist and sexist remarks made by the officers. The left-rated digests did not omit any of the verified claims listed by the standards desk. ## Who covered it Shares of the 17 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 53% (9) - Centre: 41% (7) - Right: 6% (1) 0 of 17 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-19T22:45:11.711010+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 2 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-19T23:45:10.120Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - All seven left-rated outlets reported that Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman reduced felony charges against LAPD officer Daniel Flores to misdemeanours. The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, The Independent, Lodinews.com, The Hamilton Spectator, and St Catharines Standard led on the decision to downgrade the charges, which followed criticism that the original felony charges could deter whistleblowers. - The Associated Press report detailed that Flores recorded colleagues making racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks, which he reported to LAPD internal affairs in early 2025. It quoted Hochman condemning the remarks as "hate speech" but stating there was no evidence to prosecute them as hate crimes. The report also included Flores’ attorney arguing the charges sent a message that documenting bigotry would lead to prosecution. - None of the digests from the Seattle Times, The Independent, Lodinews.com, Los Angeles Times, The Hamilton Spectator, or St Catharines Standard mentioned the specific content of the recordings or Hochman’s statement that the remarks did not amount to a hate crime. The Associated Press report alone noted Flores’ 22-day suspension from the LAPD for the recordings. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports all led on the Los Angeles district attorney reducing felony charges against LAPD officer Daniel Flores to misdemeanours. They agreed Flores recorded colleagues making racist remarks, reported the recordings to internal affairs in early 2025, and faced 16 felony charges under a California eavesdropping law. All noted the charges carried a potential 13-year prison sentence. - The digests from the Lawton Constitution, LA Daily News, Daily Breeze, Winnipeg Free Press, and Spectrum Local News carried Hochman’s statement that the original charges sent the wrong message to whistleblowers. The Daily Breeze and LA Daily News included his emphasis on incentivising legal means of gathering evidence. Spectrum Local News alone mentioned Flores’s age, 43. - CTV News, the only outlet with a full report, quoted Hochman calling the officers’ remarks hate speech but stating no evidence supported a hate-crime prosecution. It also reported Flores received a 22-day suspension from the LAPD, though none of the digests mentioned this detail. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 9 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 7 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Marietta Daily Journal](https://mdjonline.com/news/national/los-angeles-da-criticized-for-charging-officer-who-taped-others-making-racist-remarks-drops-felony/article_a45ca314-46f9-5882-903f-d7fa29259735.html) — Los Angeles DA, criticized for charging officer who taped others making racist remarks, drops felony - [The Lawton Constitution](https://swoknews.com/ap/national/los-angeles-da-criticized-for-charging-officer-who-taped-others-making-racist-remarks-drops-felony/article_6c77b40f-e470-52bc-99d7-72be27b5b936.html) — Los Angeles DA, criticized for charging officer who taped others making racist remarks, drops felony - [Santa Maria Times](https://santamariatimes.com/ap/national/los-angeles-da-criticized-for-charging-officer-who-taped-others-making-racist-remarks-drops-felony/article_d73b9b19-93ad-584d-960f-6bda0ca70ce8.html) — Los Angeles DA, criticized for charging officer who taped others making racist remarks, drops felony - [CTV News](https://ctvnews.ca/world/article/los-angeles-da-reduces-charges-against-lapd-officer-who-taped-colleagues-making-racist-remarks) — Los Angeles DA reduces charges against LAPD officer who taped colleagues making racist remarks - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/national/2026/08/19/los-angeles-police-racist-eavesdropping-recording-charges/80bb6bbc-9c02-11f1-9cc4-2dc9b46e2d5c_story.html) — Los Angeles DA Reduces Charges Against LAPD Officer ... - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/los-angeles-da-reduces-charges-against-lapd-officer-who-taped-colleagues-making-racist-remarks/article_dce3e0cc-b6da-51c6-9fed-398847c457c9.html) — Los Angeles DA, criticized for charging officer who taped others making racist remarks, drops felony - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/los-angeles-da-reduces-charges-against-lapd-officer-who-taped-colleagues-making-racist-remarks) — Los Angeles DA reduces charges against LAPD officer who taped colleagues making racist remarks - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/lapd-flores-los-angeles-los-angeles-times-california-b3035925.html) — Los Angeles DA reduces charges against LAPD officer who taped colleagues making racist remarks - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-police-racist-eavesdropping-recording-charges-988534b8302b2a5a9cbd27d73292e838) — Los Angeles DA, criticized for charging officer who taped others making racist remarks, drops felony - [LA Daily News](https://dailynews.com/2026/08/19/charges-against-lapd-officer-who-recorded-colleagues-derogatory-remarks-are-reduced) — Charges against LAPD officer who recorded colleagues’ derogatory remarks are reduced - [Daily Breeze](https://dailybreeze.com/2026/08/19/charges-against-lapd-officer-who-recorded-colleagues-derogatory-remarks-are-reduced) — Charges against LAPD officer who recorded colleagues’ derogatory remarks are reduced - [Lodinews.com](https://lodinews.com/news/national/article_eb4769f4-0890-526f-bd90-234676cd550a.html) — DA reduces charges against LAPD officer who recorded racist remarks by colleagues - [Los Angeles Times](https://latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-19/hochman-lapd-officer-eavesdropping-charges-announcement) — D.A. reduces charges against LAPD officer who recorded racist remarks by colleagues - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/news/world/united-states/los-angeles-da-reduces-charges-against-lapd-officer-who-taped-colleagues-making-racist-remarks/article_eef6dfce-140c-5494-a961-61b6c321f6a5.html) — Los Angeles DA reduces charges against LAPD officer who taped colleagues making racist remarks - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/world/united-states/los-angeles-da-reduces-charges-against-lapd-officer-who-taped-colleagues-making-racist-remarks/article_42a74d4c-7198-5786-bfae-339f7dfa4de7.html) — Los Angeles DA, criticized for charging officer who taped others making racist remarks, drops felony - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/08/19/los-angeles-da-reduces-charges-against-lapd-officer-who-taped-colleagues-making-racist-remarks) — Los Angeles DA reduces charges against LAPD officer who taped colleagues making racist remarks - [Spectrum Local News](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/ca/california/politics/2026/08/19/lapd-officer-who-recorded-others) — Charges against LAPD officer who recorded others to be reduced to misdemeanors ## Questions **Why were the charges against Daniel Flores reduced?** Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman reduced the charges after criticism that prosecuting Flores could deter whistleblowers from reporting misconduct. He said the original felony charges sent the wrong message, though he maintained Flores broke the law by secretly recording colleagues. **What did the recorded officers say?** The recordings included racist tropes, jokes about a Latino baseball pitcher dying from eating too many tacos, and derogatory comments about a recruit, whom officers called rapeable. Hochman described the remarks as hate speech but said there was insufficient evidence to charge the officers with hate crimes. **What happens to Flores now?** Flores will enter a diversion agreement, avoiding jail time if he complies with the terms for one year. He was separately suspended for 22 days without pay following an internal LAPD investigation. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/nathan-hochman-reduces-felony-charges-against-lapd-officer-daniel-flores-over-ra. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Nathan Hochman reduces felony charges against LAPD officer Daniel Flores over racist recordings", https://mediabias.news/conflict/nathan-hochman-reduces-felony-charges-against-lapd-officer-daniel-flores-over-ra