LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith sent an email to cops last month appearing to order more arrests of illegal animal traffickers in order to avoid bad press, an NBC Los Angeles investigation found.  An internal email mistakenly sent by a Los Angeles Police Department commander to a local news station appears to show the officer ordering his cops to makes more arrests in order to avoid bad press.  LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith sent the memo to officers last month after NBC Los Angeles reporters asked for stats on how many arrests the department had made for illegal animal trafficking.  A 2011 law made it a crime to sell animals on the street.  But a recent NBC Los Angeles hidden camera investigation found people openly selling pet rabbits in downtown L.A.  The LAPD held a news conference in October vowing to crack down on the bunny black market.  The embarrassing email flap started when NBC producer Robbi Peele emailed LAPD officer Tracy Fisher on Nov. 12 asking for arrest and citation numbers related to the illegal animal trade, according to NBC’s website.  Two days later, Fisher responded and said, while she didn’t have accurate numbers, she could confirm that one person had been arrested for selling animals.  Later that day, Smith emailed Fisher and two others — and appeared to copy Peele by mistake.  “This story could be a black eye for us if we dont have a few arrests to show,” Smith wrote, according to the station’s website.  “The law has been on the books for months now, and the ‘rabbit people’ are gonna scream that we dont care. Is there any way you or your crew could make a few arrests for illegal animal purchasing so we can avoid negative coverage?”  Smith later told the station the missive was simply a “gentle nudge” to get his cops to cuff some bunny peddlers.  "I want them to go out and make a few arrests," Smith told NBC Los Angeles. "Not just because there’s going to be stories on it, but because it’s time to start making arrests.”  The so-called “rabbit people” told NBC they were livid over Smith’s message.  "I mean it’s demeaning, it’s insulting and unacceptable," Lejla Hadzimuratovic, president of Bunny World Foundation, which rescues rabbits from traffickers, told NBC.  “I don’t trust that they care about animal welfare," Hadzimuratovic said.  Smith told the station the LAPD was committed to stopping animal trafficking.
An LAPD email mistakenly sent to the local NBC News station shows a commander appearing to order cops to bust illegal animal traffickers to avoid bad press, as well as the wrath from the 'rabbit people.'