4 State Parole Agents Fired For Guarding Snoop Dogg

[mrtonguetwista]

LOS ANGELES -- Four state parole agents have been fired following a yearlong investigation after their arrest while they were part of rapper Snoop Dogg's armed entourage at an awards show, officials said.

The California Department of Corrections began an internal probe after the rapper's caravan was stopped following the Black Entertainment Television Awards in Hollywood last June.

Police arrested three heavily armed bodyguards and confiscated knives, ammunition and handguns. A total of 13 people were detained for questioning.

Snoop Dogg, whose given name is Calvin Broadus, had been dropped off at the Kodak Theatre before the group was stopped and was not detained.

Three parole agents were found to be part of the entourage. The investigation found a fourth officer was working for the rapper while on a disability leave from the state, CDC spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.

Officials on Tuesday declined to release the names of the officers and the reason why they were fired, saying they expected the officers to appeal the decision within the next 30 days.

The officers' involvement with the rapper, who was convicted in 1990 of felony possession of cocaine for sale, appeared to be in conflict with their duties.

The state agency does not have a specific policy barring outside work for people with criminal records. However, employment is forbidden by state regulations if it's "incompatible or inconsistent" with their duties, CDC spokesman Russ Heimerich said.

The Inglewood Unified School District board last year voted to fire eight part-time school police officers, including four who moonlighted as bodyguards for Snoop Dogg when an unknown gunman shot at his convoy in April 2003.