Officer Fined for Misusing Official Data

A Los Angeles police detective pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge that he used his position to obtain information from other government agencies, passing it on to a client of his private security firm.

Municipal Judge David Doi placed the detective, John Vach, 37, on probation for one year and ordered him to pay a fine of $1,000 by April 16, or serve 32 days in jail, Deputy Dist. Atty. Edward Ferns said.

2 Charges Dropped

Vach entered the guilty plea to the charge that he simulated an official inquiry while obtaining the criminal history of an individual from the state Department of Justice, then furnished the information to a client of JXV Security, one of two firms he operated in his off-duty time, Ferns said.

In return for the guilty plea, the district attorney’s office dropped two other charges alleging that Vach had similarly obtained information from the state Department of Motor Vehicles and the U.S. Customs Service and passed it on to clients.

Vach, a 16-year police veteran who was assigned to the Organized Crime Intelligence Division, has been reassigned as a detective in Newton Division. He also faces an internal Police Department disciplinary hearing.